


Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap

by itsaconquestofimagination



Category: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Mob, Angst, Ass-Kicking, Bartenders, Blood and Violence, Boss/Employee Relationship, Crimes & Criminals, Dominant Kylo Ren, F/M, Falling In Love, Gang Violence, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Has No Chill, Kylo Ren in Love, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Kylo Ren is a Mess, Love, Money, One of My Favorites, Organized Crime, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Resistance, Shooting, Shooting Guns, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Starkiller is a bar, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-05-10 06:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14732054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaconquestofimagination/pseuds/itsaconquestofimagination
Summary: It’s another night of work as usual for (Y/N), a busy game night for the city. As the time passes however, an unexpected guest barges in and makes her night one she’ll never forget.





	1. Chapter 1

Standing behind the counter you ran the worn dish rag across the counter top, trying to prepare for the next customer to take their seat at the bar. Friday nights were never slow, and the second one customer stood, there was always another to replace them. Considering the bustle all throughout the bar tonight, you would likely be taking new orders within a moments notice. With a big game on, and people continuing to file inside, you could feel the pressure mounting as your arm started to move in quicker motions.

Just as you finished you watched as a group of younger men, all wearing their team gear, walked up to the counter taking the three seats that had opened up in front of you. As they took their seats you smiled at them politely, grabbing a few menus.

“Evening boys, welcome to The Gin Joint.”

They all smiled at you taking the menus from you.

“Any drinks I can get started for you?”

One to the right raised his hand slightly from the counter top with a faint smirk.

“Rum and Coke please.”

The one next to him sighed for a moment, skewing his lip to the side as he looked at the small menu before looking at you once again.

“Guinness.”

The last one smiled at you with a single nod.

“Moscow Mule.”

You gave them all a single nod and a smile.

“Got it, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Turning on your heel you went further behind the bar, making your way to the stock of different liquors. The shelves were all illuminated, making it easier to see in the all dark wood interior. Your eyes scanned the bottles intently, noticing your coworker had shuffled them yet again, obviously not remembering his training. Rolling your eyes you finally reached up for the bottle of rum. Just as you went to twist off the cap you heard a familiar voice behind you.

“Damn trainee can’t get it right.”

You turned to your right to see your boss Rick standing behind the bar with you, his arms crossed over his chest as he shook his head at the display. His dirty blonde hair was combed neatly, his usual casual attire looking as though he was a customer himself. His usual cackies had been replaced with some dark wash jeans and his dress shirt long gone with a jersey taking its place. You offered him a smirk as you took the cap off of the bottle.

“Keep trying to drill it into him and it just won’t take.”

He sighed running a hand through his hair as he shook his head. Arching a brow you tilted your head the slightest.

“What are you doing here anyways? I thought Fridays were your one day off?”

He laughed, turning more of himself towards you.

“My wife isn’t exactly a fan of the game, she’d rather I angrily yell at the TV’s here than at home.”

You chuckled shaking your head as you poured the rum into one of the glasses.

“I like the way she thinks.”

Shrugging he smirked as he leaned up against the counter.

“Hows the night going so far for you?”

“Eh, busy, but it’s going smooth. A few more happy fans and I’ll get some good tips.”

He smirked before leaning over and giving you a pat on the shoulder.

“That’s the spirit. Hold down the bar and let me know if you need anything?”

You nodded, “Got it.”

Continuing to mix the drinks, you let your mind go into ease, focusing only on the task in front of you. In an odd sort of way mixing the drinks and pouring them into their respective glasses made you content. Though it required your attention, you could also get mindlessly immersed in it. Pouring one thing after another creating all sorts of scents and colors to emerge from the glasses.

Behind you, you heard the bar roar into cheers as the home team scored. Smirking to yourself you checked one of the screens to see one of the players running off to the side of the field with their arms in the arm, cheering up to the sky. Just as the camera panned out to the crowd you watched the image shatter before you entirely as something flew into the screen. Instantly you flinched as a few sparks blew out from the flat screen, causing everyone in the bar to halt. Looking at the screen again, it suddenly hit you, someone had shot the screen, hitting directly in the middle and destroying the flat screen with only one hit.

Starting to feel your heart beat against your ribs, you slowly turned, seeing everyone in the bar ducking or huddling into corners. All their expressions were fear striken and washed out as if they had just seen a ghost. As more of them started to lower down to the ground, including the three young men you had been serving, you finally faced the door. The sight alone nearly stopped your heart from its anxious beating, your breath hitching in your throat. Your eyes shot wide as you ducked down onto the floor with your hands up.

Just in the front of the bar, there were six, or at least you were sure it was six, masked figures making their way inside. From head to toe they were covered in almost nothing but black with the exception of a few silver or gold studs on their various pieces of attire. Each of them had weapons of their own, one off to the left wielding a stained baseball bat while the one in the middle held a black pistol, still smoking. They all stood intimidatingly stiff as they took small concentrated steps forward. Their heavy boots crunched any glasses that had fallen onto the hardwood floors, adding an eerie sound to the defeaning quiet that had fallen over the crowd. All six of them, though they slowly started to separate with each walking into different sections of the space, walked in a haunting sort of synchronized fashion. From the way they moved in such a military fashion, it was as if they had rehearsed this together, or done it so many times before they formulated a natural rhythm together.

“You can run but you can’t hide Sloman.”

You gulped after hearing the male voice, realizing they were looking for your boss Rick. Despite their masks all being expressionless, all different designs with no distinction of their actual appearances, you could sense their eyes scanning every square inch of the bar intently. Their stances as well as the heavy air of intimidation they carried with them reminded you of times you had watched shows documenting the hunting patterns of wolves. Just like a pack they remained close together, their motions all in sync, slowly narrowing in on their prey.

“Did you really think we wouldn’t know? …Did you really think Ren was dumb?”

Slowly you slumped further into the ground, leaning against the dark wood behind you. Your heart was thumping loudly between your ears, a sickening feeling of nerves churning your stomach. Hearing the footsteps grow louder, your eyes grew wide once again, unsure of what they would do if they found you. Though you weren’t Rick himself, if they knew who he was, they would likely target you as one of his employees. For all the things you had prepped for this shift, this was not even close to being on the list.

Suddenly they ceased, an amused and hauntingly heartless chuckle escaping one of the masks.

“Gotcha.”

There was a grunt accompanied with a gasp which you recognized was coming from Rick. Within an instant a strained huff of air was heard as you flinched at the sound of someone being shoved forcefully into the bar. Hearing the strained whimpering and breathing from Rick, you could only assume he was being held against the mahogany with a demanding grip from one of the mystery figures.

“I-I can explain!”

Rick’s voice came out like a choked whimper, the sound obviously strained from the hold around his throat. You gulped as you tried to listen quietly, assuring you were hidden further under the bar.

“Can you now?”

Suddenly another voice joined them, a higher pitched male voice from what you could tell.

“You better start talking.”

With that you heard the clicking of a pistol, the threat obviously put on the table. Starting to feel the anxiety peak within you, you closed your eyes attempting to steady your breathing.

“I-I had no idea this was going on. They tr-ricked me into it.”

One of the mask figures scoffed, shoving Rick into the bar once again as Rick released a pathetic whimper.

“What a rich load of fucking shit!”

“I-I swear!”

“You swear huh? Well you better choose wisely on who you swear on if you believe in a judgement day.”

You could hear Rick gulp nervously, almost able to hear the cold sweat break out on his forehead as his heavy breathing grew more audible. These people were obviously not satisfied with anything he had to say, and seemed to believe he was hiding more. Another voice emerged, the sound of it laced with venom.

“You two faced son of a bitch.”

The masked man scoffed again, his jaw almost audibly tensing as you swore you heard his teeth grit together.

“Tricked you into it? Nobody mistakenly calls the Resistance. NO ONE!”

Rick faintly gasped as one of the mens hands collided with his face, the leather creating a loud and echoing sound.

“Did you really think word wouldn’t get back to us? This town isn’t that big.”

Rick whimpered again as his back was shoved into the wood, a faintly audible sneer coming from one of the men.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

The masked figures all laughed, obviously mocking Rick.

“Oh you’re sorry?”

He slammed Rick into the bar once again with a low growl, causing you to flinch.

“Say it like you mean it.”

“I’m sorry! I-I’m sorry!!”

The bar fell silent again for a moment, before Rick’s faint sobs broke through the air. The sound hit you like a punch in the gut, just sensing the sheer desperation emitting off of him. From the sounds he was making, you were sure he was counting his last moments. He was likely regretting whatever decision he had made to incite this, regretting coming to the bar tonight. The mystery figures all scoffed again, the laughs oddly distorted by all the various masks they wore. The sound alone made your skin crawl, you could hear the animosity, the faint joy they took in seeing him so desperate and pleading before them. As their laughing ceased, you could feel your anxiety peaking, only assuming the worst case scenario.

“…Talk is cheap at this point Rick. You’ve played us, tried to rat us out while taking our business. There’s no coming back from that.”

You heard Rick’s desperate whimper again, the sound of his crying becoming more evident.

“On the bright side…you’re going to make quite the trophy.”

Shots were fired rapidly, busting through the mahogany as it splintered and cracked. Flinching in fear, you heard everyone else in the bar collectively gasp or faintly scream out in horror. Your body began to tremble as you heard the whimpers and crying from the other side of the bar. The idea of what visual was awaiting you on the other side alone made you both horribly sad and nauseous. Those bullets had been emptied with no mercy and at an extremely close proximity. There was no way that what was waiting on the other side for you was going to be anything you had seen before. Trying to take deep breaths you jumped yet again as a few other shots were fired, this time through the ceiling. Stray sparks from the ceiling fan fell before you as your eyes went wide again.

“EVERYONE OUT!!”

With no hesitation everyone in the bar immediately flung up from the ground and scattered like mice out of any exit the space had to provide. You could hear the shuffling of peoples feet, desperately trying to move faster, afraid of displeasing these masked figures. The whimpers and heavy breathing hitting your ears as you rose to your feet. By the time you stood yourself, a good number of people had emptied out, with only the last few running for the door. Instantly you made quick work of your feet, rushing to get out from behind the bar, almost running your hip into the edge of the wooden structure. Feeling your breathing grow heavy in a mess of nerves, you began to walk past the bar, your hands trembling as you tried to hold them before you.

Just as your feet passed the bar, you were cut off by a blacked out skull mask standing before, its stance like a brick house. You froze entirely, instantly releasing a faint gasp as your body locked into place. As if your legs could suddenly no longer move you found yourself staring into this faceless mask, sheer terror in your eyes. Behind you, you heard someones pistol click, the trigger ready to fire. Your breath caught in your throat.

“Except you…you’re not going anywhere.”

The masked figure before you tilted their head, their arms at their sides as if ready to fight you.

“Working with the traitor huh?”

“Probably trying to make some good money on the side. Thinking you could outsmart us.”

You eagerly shook your head, your answer stammering out though you wanted to hope you would have sounded more confident considering there was a gun being held up just behind you.

“N-no, no, I work here but I had no idea what was going on with him, I just make the drinks and serve the food, I swear I know nothing else. I know nothing else about what Rick did behind the scenes, I swear on my life.”

Just as your sentence finished you felt the warm metal of the other man’s gun just faintly graze your shoulder. Seconds after you felt the undeniable presence of someone behind you, the extra heat from their body far too pronounced to be anything else. Closing your eyes, you felt your whole body begin to tremble as tears began to well behind your eyelids. The scenario was growing to be too much for one evening, your boss was dead, your place of work now a target and your life at stake with some nameless, faceless figures threatening you. Swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat, you released a wavering breath through your nostrils, trying not to let any whimpers or whines escape you. They could already see your fear, they didn’t need to have the satisfaction of hearing it too.

“You know we can tell if you’re lying can’t you?”

“It’s a sixth sense.”

You tried not to open your mouth, afraid of what cry would escape your lips as the feeling of the gun started to settle into your shoulder blade. You weren’t sure what would be a good answer at this point, with a gun dug into your skin and five more people surrounding you, there seemed to be no way out of this. Swallowing, you released a deep breath before speaking again.

“I swear…I swear on my life I just work the bar…if Rick did anything on the side he kept it to himself.”

The masked figure before you tilted his head to the other side, scanning your face as you desperately tried to keep calm. Though you were trembling, the last thing you wanted to do in this moment was start crying, like you so badly wanted to. Rick was just behind you, the menacing masks only seemed to become more unsettling the more you looked at them and even with the gun lowered, things could so easily start slipping in another direction. It was obvious these people were not concerned with you aside from what you could give them.

“Well….you seem to be honest…for this one moment in time.”

Quietly you sighed with relief, hoping with everything you had that meant you would go unharmed. The gun slowly lowered from your shoulder blade, but the men closing you in remained, not even flinching from their places on the hardwood floors.

“You think she can help with the intel?”

The figure before you took a few steps forward, looming over you as their mask faintly moved. From the slow motion of his head, you were sure that from underneath that skeletal face he was assessing you with his eyes again. He released a short huff from behind his mask.

“It’s likely…only shot we’ve got.”

Another voice suddenly joined in, slowly approaching from your right side. Before they even came into your line of sight, you could feel their eyes on you.

“Ren would like this one.”

You could practically hear the smirk of the man behind you as he took a few steps back, a few chards of glass crunching beneath his boots.

“You think so?”

“Oh definitely…in more ways than one.”

The mystery figures all laughed, not bothering to give you any indication of what was going on, nor a clear answer to the question. Their laughs alone sent chills down your spine, goosebumps flaring over your flesh. “As they say, two birds with one stone.” Just as that phrase hit your ears, your eyes shooting wide as you were sure they were going to end you just like they had Rick, your skull was hit abrupttly from behind. Before you could process what was going on, your vision started to fade to black as your muscles suddenly grew weak, your knees buckling beneath you.

* * *

 

With a pulsing ache radiating through your head, you slowly felt yourself awaking. Your muscles were sore and exhausted from how tense they had been the evening prior. The surface beneath you was no help to your growing aches and pains, the cold concrete becoming more recognizable to you beneath your palms as your mind came out of its sleepy haze. Wherever you were it was dimly lit and poorly heated, a chill brushing over you, worsening the already chilling concrete floor beneath you. Shivering faintly you slowly sat yourself up, wrapping your arms around yourself in an attempt to feel some warmth. The area around you seemed suspiciously quiet, with only the sound of the lights you were sure were above you buzzing. Your eyes focused on the ground beneath you, giving you absolutely no indication of where you could possibly be. Nowhere in the bar had cement floors, your apartment surely didn’t have any.

“Comfortable?”

You flinched, your heart practically leaping out of your chest as a heat returned to your skin for a fleating moment. Slowly turning to the source of the baritone voice, your eyes trailed up from the ground to a pair of two well shined black dress shoes. From there your eyes wandered up to the black dress pants, well ironed and fitted. Two large forearms rested on each knee of the individual, a pale complexion exposed by the sleeves that were rolled up to his elbows. Finally your eyes saw his upper half, a black dress shirt strained by his seemingly large biceps. Carefully he clasped his large hands before him, just barely holding them under his clean shaven chin. His face however, is what caught you the most off guard. His jaw was slightly off set, a prominent scar running from his jaw up to the bridge of his nose. His nose was rather angular, sitting between two intensely deep brown eyes with a pair of surprisingly full pink lips beneath it. In his own sort of way, he was surprisingly handsome. You wanted to respond but only managed to stutter out some indistinugishable word. He smirked, keeping his relaxed but keanely focused posture.

“You’re wondering why you’re here aren’t you?”

You gulped, unsure of who you were speaking to and why you were speaking to him. From the corner of your eye, you could tell you were entirely alone in the room with him. Slowly you nodded.

“You’re the last link I have to The Gin Joint…well, the last living link anyway.”

Your brows furrowed, tilting your head slightly. The man huffed out a faint chuckle.

“That trainee of yours wasn’t the brightest young man I’ve dealt with.”

Your eyes went wide, suddenly realizing why the trainee had sounded so hesitant when calling in sick for his last shift. You weren’t sure how, or at all sure why, but this man had certainly taken him out of the picture.

“So as you can imagine, you’re a valued guest here.”

Feeling both afraid and put off by his rhetoric you scoffed faintly. “Guest?”

Internally you ridiculed yourself for speaking at this moment, hearing your tone come out far weaker than you had intended it to be. He smirked again, obviously amused by the subtle tone of fear in your voice.

“Yes, a guest indeed.”

Slowly he stood from his chair, bringing his arms to his sides as he towered over you. Though the size of his legs had indicated he was likely a larger build, you had never assumed he would be so intimidatingly tall. You gulped once again, trying to keep your eyes focused on his intense gaze despite having to crane your head up towards him.

“W-what do you want with me?”

Watching him carefully, you kept your eyes focused on him as he slowly began to crouch down to your level. His long limbs carefully folded, resting himself on the balls of his feet, as he brought himself into a squat before you. He carefully rested his forearms over his knees, staring straight into your eyes as he was now mostly level with you.

“Your boss did a double deal, thinking I wouldn’t notice…thinking he could easily rat me out for a larger sum of money than the one he was making. The problem is, before he volunteered to rat me out, he made a deal with me. …A deal I have yet to receive payment for, despite carrying out the task he asked of me.”

He stared at you for a moment in silence, as if giving you time to process the backstory to this whole situation.

“I took quite the risk for him…quite the risk with my men…and he had the balls to call out a private investigation group on me, despite my loyalty. …Doesn’t that sound like a traitor to you?”

Though it was an honest answer on your behalf, you worried any other answer would end up with a bullet in your head.

“Good…because he was. That’s where you come in.”

You gulped, your heart rate starting to escalate as his eyes roamed past your face and over your body, slowly coming back to meet your gaze once again.

“You may not have been a part of the deal…but you know that bar better than anyone else…you know codes, security details, where any extra cash is kept…don’t you?”

You nodded, knowing any rejection of information or honesty would put you at risk.

“Like I said…a valued guest.”

His eyes roamed past your face again, only to return to your eyes once again bringing a faint heat into your cheeks.

“A highly valued guest.”

Suddenly off to your right you heard a door swing open, the metal hinges creaking. Turning to see who was entering you saw another tall man, his hair a firey red with piercing blue eyes, his attire far more formal than the man before you. Just behind him, the same mystery masked figures from earlier slowly filed into the room. The same feeling of unease washed over you as you watched them all approach the man you were speaking to. Uniformly, the six figures stood behind the man, while the one with firey red hair stood off to the side. One of the figures chuckled faintly, nudging the one next to them. “I told you Ren would like this one.” Ren, you thought to yourself. This must have been the faceless ‘boss’ they kept referring to in their heist of the bar. The man with red hair looked you over, his blue eyes holding a sort of intensity that seemed to challenge Ren’s.

“What’s the deal with the girl?”

Ren kept his eyes on you, smirking.

“She’s going to get us our money…even in death, Sloman will pay his dues.”

The man nodded, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

“Good, Supreme Leader will finally be off of our asses with this one.”

“He is wise…he’s the reason we’re so well off Hux.”

The man, who you assumed now was named Hux, sneered faintly in Ren’s direction. Looking between the two of you, obviously taking note of how Ren’s gaze did not, even for a moment, move from you he shook his head.

“Careful Ren…you wouldn’t want your personal interests to interfere with orders from the Supreme Leader.”

Ren still kept his eyes on you, seeming unphased by Hux’s vague threat.

“Surely I won’t.”

Hux turned on his heel, his dress shoes clicking against the cement as he made his way back out of the room, the aged metal hinges creaking once again. The masked figures behind Ren remained, all seeming to watch you almost as intently as he did. Nervously your eyes went up to them, still unsure of how you truly felt about being in their presence. One of the figures to the left spoke up, leaning down slightly towards Ren.

“Did we do good master?”

Ren smirked, still not moving his gaze from you as your eyes slowly came back to meet it.

“Wonderful.”

A few of the figures high fived, obviously satisfied that they had gotten his approval. Lifting one of his hands above his head, Ren dismissively waved to them.

“Now go. Your work for the evening is done.”

They all gave a single nod in a unanimous motion.

“Yes master.”

Quickly, and still mostly in sync with each motion they made, the figures made their way to the door. One by one they filed out of the door, their boots clicking against the doorframe until the last one passed through. As the door closed it echoed into the room, the sound bouncing off of the concrete.

“You’re wondering who they are…aren’t you?”

You nodded.

“They go by the Knights of Ren.”

With no explanation you put two and two together, understanding that they were likely his henchmen. Given their group name, it also left no ambiguity as to who they answered to.

“Do you know who I am?”

You hesitated, unsure if you should assume you knew the answer. Given the obvious links and information before you, you figured it was better to give it a shot.

“Ren.”

He smirked, faintly, barely chuckling. “Kylo Ren…master of the Knights of Ren.”

You nodded. For a moment you pondered over his name as the room fell silent again, Kylo was certainly a name you had never heard before. Of course the world was filled with interesting and unique names, but Kylo was surely one you had never encountered before. He tilted his head faintly, his brows furrowing for a moment.

“And who are you?”

You came out of your thoughts, blinking suddenly.

“Me?”

“Who else would I be speaking to?”

Sheepishly, realizing your mistake in asking that question, you straightened your posture and cleared your throat. “(Y/N), my name is (Y/N).”

His smirk returned, his head tilting slightly back to its upright position. “(Y/N)…what a lovely name.”

Heat rose to your cheeks once again, as you averted your eyes from his. “Th-thank you.”

The room fell silent again as Kylo raised one of his large hands to his chin, gently rubbing the skin as he continued gazing at you. It was frightening to say the least, knowing you were now involved in some sort of crime loop because of your boss’ poor decisions, now sitting before a man who had likely murdered plenty. A man that at the same time as he gave you chills, made you nervous like a school girl would be with their crush. It felt wrong, but you surely weren’t doing much to stop it.

“I like you (Y/N).”

You looked back up to him, your cheeks still hot as you tried to downplay your expression of surprise. He was being far more forward than you had anticipated, though you weren’t sure why you were that surprised.

“Seeing as The Gin Joint is done for, maybe you could take up a job with me?”

Slowly your lips started to part, your head starting to shake as they did.

“I-I’m not sure I’m who you’d want working for you.”

He smirked. “Not down here…I own a little bar myself, perhaps you’ve heard of it.”

You waited for his response as he hesitated for a moment, as if to build the anticipation.

“A little place called Starkiller?”

Instantly you knew the bar he was referring to. Given the number of times your friends had gone bar hopping in college, you knew the name well. Though you had only been inside on one occasion, your friends were used to frequenting it. They all gawked over the sleek interior, the ambiance it gave as well as the liquor. You nodded.

“Consider yourself hired.”

You cleared your throat again. “Thank you.”

His head tilted again, raking his eyes over you once again.

“Do you have an apartment?”

Despite it being a simple question, you couldn’t help but feel unsettled that he was asking to know details about where you lived. No matter how handsome he was, you were never going to accept him trying to pry out private information. He smirked at your hesitation, sensing that you didn’t want to tell him.

“I’m going to assume by your job at the bar your silence signifies a yes.”

You stared at him blankly, unsure if you should nod or remain still. Either way, he already knew the answer without you speaking.

“I’ll get the information later.”

Your heart nearly stopped at the words. Given who you were speaking to, you could only assume that meant something was in store for you. Kylo smirked again.

“It’s not a threat. I’m planning on making other arrangements. I trust you won’t have any problems with that?”

Gulping you shook your head, still unsure of what words would be appropriate to respond with at this point. You could only imagine that the wrong answer might set him off. Given how little you knew about him, his capabilities and the situation, the wrong answer could be just about anything.

“Good.”

Finally he stood from his crouched position, towering above you once again. Staring down at you, he faintly made a motion with his fingers, ushering you to stand. Nodding in response, you carefully picked yourself off of the ground and stood at your full height, dusting off your uniform before looking at Kylo once again. His eyes raked over you yet again before he stared into your eyes.

“You’ll be at The Gin Joint tomorrow at 7AM sharp with the key.”

Listening to him speak you realized he was not asking or implying, he was commanding you. There was obviously no room for discussion and likely no desire to have one.

“I’ll give you the rest of the details of this arrangement once you’ve given me my payment.”

Though you were regretting thinking it, you couldn’t stop yourself from asking the next question.

“A-and what if I can’t find it?”

His brows furrowed, his eyes looking off to the side somewhere as he pondered. The second it had left your lips you regretted saying it, but truthfully you needed to know. If there was a possibility you would face the same fate as Rick if you couldn’t find one key or crack a safe, you needed to know. After a moment Kylo looked back to you, his expression seemingly blank.

“We’ll see.”

His answer only made you more nervous, playing the worst case scenarios in your head. He took a single step forward, bringing his chest closer, almost grazing against you. The heat returned to your cheeks as you sheepishly tried to avert your gaze from his.

“I’m sure you will find it…you seem sharp.”

You brought your gaze back to his, almost entranced this time as your eyes met. At this proximity you could see just how deep they went, the warm tone of brown and something you swore you could see hiding behind them.

“Thank you.”

Stepping back from you, he made his way over to one of the doors off to the left, separate from the ones everyone else had entered through. Carefully he swung it open, leaning against it to keep it open for you. Furrowing his brows, he looked outside for a moment, then quickly looked back to you.

“How do you like the cold?”

You shrugged, “Not a big fan.”

Kicking down a small rubber block to keep the door open, Kylo stood from his leaning position, walking back inside. Shuffling behind a pile of boxes, he leaned down reaching into one in particular. Watching him carefully, you saw him fold something shut, placing something else over his forearm. Walking into clearer view, you saw a black fur coat over his forearm. Not bothering to read your expression he strode up to you, instantly throwing it over your shoulders.

“For the walk home.”

You looked to the jacket on your shoulders, confused and unsure of why he was doing this. Not to mention that you had no idea where you were.

“B-but I don’t know where I am, what do you mean walk?”

He smirked as he walked back to the door, leaning against it once again. “It’s the basement of Starkiller bar. …You know your way now?”

You nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.”

Not bothering to question him any further as to why you were taking this jacket that likely cost a month of your rent or why you were in the basement of his bar of all places you nodded and made your way towards the door. Walking past Kylo, you felt his eyes on you once again, intently taking you in. Feeling the cold breeze of the outside brush against your exposed skin you shivered, pulling the jacket closer to your body.

“7AM.”

You looked over your shoulder briefly to see Kylo closing the door the smug smirk gone, and replaced with his blank expression. Nervously you swallowed, hesitant to take your eyes off of the door. After staring at it for a long moment, you finally turned around beginning your walk home. The further the walk went, the further you felt yourself crumbling within. An evening that was supposed to be an extra shift had turned into a chaotic film plot you weren’t sure you wanted any part of. You had witnessed your boss’ death, got threatened by masked figures who still were a mystery to you, had been kidnapped and presented to a crime boss by the name of Kylo Ren. Despite his good looks, he was incredibly intimidating and would likely haunt your thoughts for days to come. Suddenly, not even sure of why it was happening, you released a sob. Placing your hand over your mouth, you suddenly became aware of the tears streaming down your cheeks, the breaths you were taking suddenly becoming more strained.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her boss dead and her anxiety at an all time high, (Y/N) wakes up the next morning, not knowing what will happen next. Obliging to Kylo’s request, she goes to meet him as planned at The Gin Joint, walking into a whole new world and a high stakes adventure.

Blaring in your ears, your alarm rang beside you assuring you were ripped from sleep within moments. Groaning you turned on your side, looking to the clock before abruptly hitting it. In an instant the beeping stopped, the room falling quiet once again as you hummed faintly in content. Though you knew your day would likely be filled with stress, you could at least relish in the warmth of your bed for this moment in time.

Even with the warmth surrounding you, you couldn’t shake the reality of the route your day was likely going to take in a matter of a few hours. No matter how much you tried to put your mind elsewhere it always managed to slither its way back to the forefront and consume your thoughts. The chill it sent down your spine was enough alone to get you out of bed and get started with your morning. The last thing you wanted to imagine or even begin to deal with was the possibility of Ren’s wrath. Considering how thoroughly they had exterminated Rick, you weren’t about to test your luck with your own life. No matter how badly you just wanted to run away, not even become associated with any of this, you knew they’d find you. No matter how far you ran or how well you hid your footsteps they would likely have little to no trouble tracking you down. If they could dig up Rick’s personal affairs, your travels would surely be no hassle whatsoever.

Rummaging through your closet you found your hands trembling faintly, your mind reeling through all of the options before you. In your underlying state of fear your mind could not find focus. What were you supposed to wear? Were you supposed to dress up? Dress down in order to gather things in the bar and not look suspicious? Was your uniform appropriate?

Finding yourself fretting over the ticking clock behind you, you shakily grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans and a plain black shirt. At the very least it was neutral and could very easily pass for a uniform of some sort at your bar. Even with finding your outfit, you found your hands still trembling as you slipped on the attire. No matter how many mantras you repeated to yourself, your nerves could not be calmed. There was no way for you to know what you’d be walking into and certainly no indication of what the future was going to hold.

After finishing your makeup, getting your hair just how you wanted and collecting your things you stopped in front of your mirror. Despite getting yourself together, you still held a certain air of fear in your demeanor. The way your shoulders appeared tense, the way your jaw felt as though it was locked in place. The glimmer in your eyes was not as bright, the fear at least somewhat evident to you staring down your own reflection.

Releasing a deep breath you gave your reflection a nod.

“Let’s do this.”

* * *

 

Arriving at the Gin Joint, you could feel your heart hammering in your chest, thumping between your ears with every step across the pavement you took closer. Though you knew for certain it wouldn’t look suspect to anyone that you, an employee, was arriving this early, you couldn’t shake other fears brewing in the back of your mind. You knew little to nothing about the man and team you had just become acquainted with except that they seemed to kill with no mercy and take their business very seriously. For all you knew, this could be a trap they were setting. After all, once they had the cash, what else could they possibly need from you?

As you finally stood before the front entrance, you could feel your blood run cold. The mere sight of the bar now made you anxious, fearful and uncertain. The image of Rick being mercilessly shot into would forever be burned into your mind, and there wasn’t much you could do to remove it except to hope it would fade away on its own. Slowly pushing the door open you heard the wood creak, the smell of spilled liqour still poignant in the air. Taking a deep breath you stepped inside, the wood from the floor now creaking under your weight. Closing the door swiftly behind you, you gazed forward to the clock on the wall, somehow untouched by last night’s skirmish.

7:01 AM

Just as you went to look forward again, you felt your heart jump into your throat as a startled gasp escaped your lips. Kylo stood a couple of feet before you, leaning against the doorframe with his all black attire on, his arms crossed over his broad chest as he smirked at you deviously.

“Morning.”

You nodded, finding yourself unable to muster up any legitimate response with your heart still racing. Despite the ever growing fear you had over your situation, you couldn’t seem to shake the mixed signals you got from this man. A part of you wanted to hate him till your last breath while the other had an odd inkling of trust. That trust however was dangling by a ridiculously thin thread.

He chuckled faintly, smirking at your skiddish behavior.

“Just testing if you’re awake or not.”

You cleared your throat, “Right.”

Standing straight from his leaning position Kylo began to walk towards you.

“You know why we’re back here…don’t you?”

“Uhm…you wanted your money. The money Rick didn’t pay you.”

He nodded, stalking towards you more like a wolf approaching its prey. His eyes remained fixed on you, making your hairs stand on end, as if he was anticipating you to run.

“Right you are. That’s not all though.”

“W…what else?”

He finally stopped in front of you, a mere few inches before you and towering like a skyscraper with his dense arms crossed over his broad chest.

“You see…the money in this bar isn’t going to qutie cover it. Although, he significantly cut down his expenses by giving me a new bartender.”

Kylo’s eyes scanned you over once, sending a slight shiver down your spine.

“I’m going to need more.”

You gulped, “Like what?”

“Any and all undamaged liquor, food product and anything I can keep in my…collection.”

Your brow arched, “Collection?”

He nodded, “You know…you’ve seen it. Those crates I keep under the basement of the bar.”

Instantly you felt your blood grow cold at the memory. From what you could recall, the basement, almost more of a warehouse, was stacked high with those crates. If he was implying what you thought he was, every single item within them was from a murder or raid he had committed. Every single item, including your newly acquired fur coat. Stolen. His expression remained unchanged and almost bored as his jaw stiffened faintly.

“You’ll help the Knights acquire all of it. Then Sloman’s debt is paid and we can move on from here.”

You swallowed the lump that had formed in your throat, finding it in yourself to nod.

“Ok.”

“Good.”

Just as he finished speaking you suddenly heard the sound of boots thudding against the aged wood floors of the bar. With the sound growing closer and closer Kylo took a few steps back from you, allowing you to see the same six ominous masked figures appear from the backroom one by one. Their presence alone gave the morning an entirely different feeling, setting you on edge. Perhaps it was because they were the only ones who you had witnessed committing a murder, or perhaps it was the fact that they were masked and had, for lack of a better term, kidnapped you.

Kylo silently nodded to them once before he took a few slow steps towards them with his arms still crossed over his chest.

“You know what to do.”

All six of the figures nodded as they instantly began to scatter around the bar. From what you caught sight of one of the Knights went to the kitchen while another stormed into the bathroom as another began taking photo frames off of the wall and stuffing them inside a burlap sack. They wasted no time in stripping the bar clean of what they deemed valuable. Kylo slowly turned to you, his expression far more intimidating this time around and definitely locked onto you. Your trembling began again as the intensity of his gaze burned into you.

“How about you start with that safe?”

You nodded with a gulp, “Y-yeah I’ll do that.”

Kylo smirked as he started to follow behind you, the immense looming of his presence setting you on edge once again. Nervously your trembling hands made their way into your jeans pocket, digging out a set of keys that belonged to the bar. A small wave of relief washed over you as you relished in the fact that you hadn’t forgotten them. Not that it would have stopped Ren, but it surely looked better on your behalf.

Hastily you walked behind the bar, your eyes scanning the aged mahogany for any sign of the safe. Though you were certain you had seen Rick occasionally crack it open, you had never officially seen or touched it. The mention of it on Ren’s behalf was the first time you had actually thought about it in quite a while. Soon enough your eyes landed upon a certain slab of wood that appeared to have an odd lining on the right side compared to the rest of the bar. Crouching down to the floor you gently brought your hands to the wood, tracing your fingers down the side. Upon your finger tips gliding across the material you found your assumptions to be correct, the slab of wood oddly enough had a tiny hole in one of the carvings. Slipping your finger carefully into the hole you gently pulled the wood towards yourself only to have your eyes widen. With a creak the wood swung open to none other than a silver chrome safe. Another wave of relief washed over you as you heard Ren stop behind you, bending over slightly to see what you were looking at.

“Well, well. I was right about you after all. Open it.”

You nodded quickly as you put the keys up to your line of sight again, attempting to remember which one was designated for the safe. To your luck by the second try the key you had selected worked, easily sliding into the lock as you gave it a good twist. With a faint hiss and release of air the safe door opened revealing to you stacks upon stacks of bound dollar bills. Your eyes widened at the sight, never having seen this much cash before you in your life. At least not tangible money that was not in a film.

Kylo chuckled faintly, the sound almost appearing more like a low hum from his chest.

“Fill up this bag. Quickly.”

Instantly another black burlap sack was dropped at your side, causing you to slightly flinch. The tone in Kylo’s voice was definitely not one you wanted to challenge so you quickly picked up the sack beside you with one hand as the other began to dig inside the safe. With no hesitation in your motions you quickly put one stack of cash after the other inside of the bag, practically able to hear your heart hammering between your ears. Even with your compliance and success thus far, a little voice in the back of your head couldn’t help but to be skeptical. What if Ren really didn’t need a bartender? What if he only offered that so you would fess up and give him the money? It was more than likely true. Given the reputation you knew he carried, it was all too probable that he was conning you. Was whatever you saw behind his eyes really there or was it hope blindly misguiding you?

Feeling your face grow hot at the amount of stressful scenarios and questions speeding through your mind you continued to quickly pile the stacks into the sack at your side. You could feel Kylo’s eyes burning into your back, watching your every motion. With the last stack stashed away in the sack you released a deep breath, now anticipating what would happen now that Kylo had his money. Taking the sack away from you he smirked down from his towering stance over you.

“Now that wasn’t so bad was it?”

You gulped, “N-no.”

Kylo smirked as he slung the bag over his shoulder. Despite the weight of the bag, it seemed as though it weighed nothing to him.

“Follow me.”

Your heart instantly began to pick up pace at the sound of those words. He had told you that you were to assist the Knights, but with the change in plans, you couldn’t help but to grow nervous.

“O-ok.”

Instantly Kylo turned on his heel, making his way from behind the bar once again as he began walking towards the same doorframe you had found him leaning against. Following behind quietly you watched him carefully, attempting to figure out where he was going. Still on edge, you couldn’t help the light feeling you got in your gut. Butterflies weren’t the exact term, no. This was entirely your anxiety solidfying in physical form. You knew it all too well and yet this time it seemed different. It was likely worse than anytime before.

After a few moments you followed Kylo to the backdoor of the bar, leading out to what used to be the staff parking lot. Your brows furrowed for a moment before you took note of the black SUV sitting right in front of you. Kylo strode up to the car, unlocking it within seconds before he threw the sack under the drivers seat. He turned back to you gesturing to you with his hand.

“Come on.”

You halted in your steps, unknowingly taking on a stance of both fear and defiance. Your eyes were wide, your palms sweating uncontrollably as you fidgeted with them, placing them before you, your knees shaking beneath you. Even with those factors your shoulders remained strong, your back straight and your lips pressed firmly together. Kylo’s eyes raked over you, his brows furrowing only a moment after. From the look on his face you could tell that he was assessing you, judging what you were likely going to do next. Given the mixed signals from your stance and facial expression, Kylo wasn’t sure what to make of you. You looked defiant and yet horrified to move at the same time.

His jaw stiffened as he faintly grit his teeth, gesturing to the car.

“Get in the car.”

Thudding heavily between your ears you heard your heart, consuming the majority of your attention. Even the sounds of the city around you seemed to dull in comparisson to the pounding from your chest. Kylo’s nostrils flared faintly as he gestured to the open door once again.

“Nothing’s going to happen to you. Just get in the car.”

“H-how do I know?”

“You’re far too valuable to just be disposed of…trust me.”

Too valuable. The words echoed through your mind. What did that mean? Were you just an asset he couldn’t afford to lose just yet, or did he actually value you as a person? You had hardly anything to go off of in order to judge who he was in character aside from meeting his henchmen and being threatened to show up at your old bar by a specific hour. All you had was instinct and the little voices in your head attempting to decipher what in the hell you had gotten yourself into.

Feeling your heart pound harder against your chest you released a deep breath through your nostrils. As conflicted as you were, you knew what the best decision was in order to stay alive. You gulped as you nodded in response, dropping your gaze to your feet.

“Okay.”

Not bothering to see how he responded to your words you continued forward towards the car. Seeing the step to the inside of the car you released another deep breath as you began to climb in.

“Sit up front.”

You paused, furrowing your brows as you turned to Kylo.

“What?”

“Sit shotgun. The Knights will take all of these seats.”

“B-but it’s the same-”

“Get up front.”

His tone grew rigid again as his teeth grit at you. Shrinking under his intense gaze once again you nodded.

“O-ok, I’ll go up front.”

Stumbling slightly you made your way hastily around the car to the passenger side. Though sitting shotgun didn’t seem like a threat, you couldn’t help but to wonder why Kylo would be so insistent on where you sat in the car. Why did he care? Either way you were stuck, promised to stick to this deal until the end. Sliding into the leather seat you sighed, trying to settle yourself comfortably into it. Even with the comfortable leather beneath you, your body couldn’t stop trembling. Subconciously you wondered if this was your new normal, constantly trembling in anticipation and fear of what was to come next. Given how unpredictable and obviously serious Kylo was, the possibility wasn’t too far fetched. The worst part however was having no indication as to when it would ever stop. There was no timeline, no set conditions to which this would end.

From the drivers seat Kylo looked over you once again, his eyes flickering from your face to your visibly trembling body. You were hardly aware of his gaze with how consumed you were by your thoughts, but his eyes remained on you for a few moments. You were obviously uncomfortable, still fearful with how your knees clutched together as well as your hands.

“Don’t be afraid.”

The sound of his deep voice caused you to jump slightly, jolting you out of your frenzied thoughts. Your wide eyes looked to him, your brows furrowed faintly.

“What?”

“Don’t be afraid.”

Your furrowed brows relaxed faintly, your expression shifting to perplexion. Was this another vague threat or was he being genuine? His tone certainly wasn’t as hostile this time. Nothing however, was indicative of just how much you could trust this man. He faintly gave you a fraction of a grin before the doors to the backseat suddenly opened. Jumping again, your eyes instantly went to the back to see the Knights climbing in. The way they seemed to scramble into the car appeared far more rushed than the way Kylo had gotten in as well as yourself. If no one was coming to the bar what was the scurry for?

“Alright boss we’re clear. Doren is just about done.”

Kylo gave them a nod, keeping his eyes fixed on the door in sight from the window in the back. Finding yourself curious as to what had his attention so occupied you turned your gaze in the same direction. Seconds later another one of the Knights came striding out of the backdoor quickly. All scooting down a seat the Knights made room for this last member.

“We’re clear.”

Kylo nodded in response as the back door swung shut. Bringing his attention forward Kylo started up the car and began to drive away. Hearing the gravel shift beneath the wheels you sighed, at the very least you had space to breath, seated next to the only member of this group who’s face you had seen and ever spoken to. Settling further into your seat you leaned back slightly, slowly your eyes shifted towards the sideview mirror.

The instant your eyes found it however, your heart stopped. Sitting up in your seat once again you found yourself entirely consumed by the visual of smoke billowing out from the backdoor of the bar. The smoke itself was far too dense to be anything aside from a fire. Fire. Your eyes widened further. The floors were still soaked in liquor.

“You’re going to blow it up?!”

As you turned to Kylo you noted how he hardly flinched at your sudden shriek, instead keeping all of his attention focused on the road.

“And?”

“But, you already emptied it! What’s the point?! You got what you wanted!”

“Do you really want any traces of you or I left behind?”

Your brows furrowed as your heart began beating furiously again.

“But an explosion?!”

“Things can be recovered from fires.”

“But why do you, why does it have to-”

“Calm down!!”

You flinched at the sudden rise in his tone, his head snapping towards you as his chest heaved and his nostrils flared. He appeared even more agitated and stern than he had been moments before.

“It’s settled.”

Your body began to tremble more furiously, as if telling you to resist just sitting normally in the car. No matter what you tried, your mind and your body could not be calmed. No matter what hope you had residing somewhere in your heart and mind, the reality of your situation easily clouded over it.

Kylo turned his attention forward once again, his fists unclenching just slightly from the steering wheel.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Peering over at him once again you felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Just the words from his mouth sounded wrong. There was something lying behind those words that did not settle right with you. For all you knew, his words that were previously coming off as a reassurance were now a vague threat. Looking to the side mirror once again your nostrils flared as your heart sunk into your shoes, watching the Gin Joint slowly become engulfed in flames before it disappeared from your view.

* * *

 

Finally the car came to a stop, the familiar Starkiller bar sitting just beyond the window. In comparison to the Gin Joint, the outside of Starkiller was vastly different. The exterior was all black steel like material with silver chrome lettering shining out as a stark contrast above the doors. The windows were oddly enough tinted, giving an even darker appearance in the daylight. With a sigh you stared at the shiny lettering, trying not to look back over to Kylo. Your anxiety was still at an all time high, your body had yet to cease from trembling and though your mind felt as though it were still reeling, your thoughts had gone utterly silent.

Kylo looked over to you again in the passenger seat, seeing you still visibly shaking as your eyes strained to stare at the Starkiller sign. Shaking his head faintly he turned to his door and swung it open.

“Let’s go.”

From beside you, you heard the door open as well as a fair amount of shuffling behind you. The Knights all climbed out of the car, leaving you still there staring out at the sign. Sure it seemed as though you were supposed to move with everyone else, but your body wanted to go its own way. In your state of heightened nerves and anxiety, you found yourself numb. In such a short span of time you found yourself wondering how you had ever gotten yourself into this, how you had made it this far and how you would ever live to look at yourself again as you went forward with this. Even if you yourself had committed no crime, even being in this close of association was too much for your own personal liking.

Still standing at the drivers side of the car, hand clutched onto the door and eyes boring into you was Kylo. Despite how quiet he had been for the time being, you knew undoubtedly that he was standing there watching, waiting for you. Strangely enough, your hairs did not stand on end this time around underneath his gaze. Some part of you had settled.

“You coming?”

You sighed, taking one last look at the sign before you turned towards Kylo.

“I suppose I have to.”

He gave you no acknowledgement in response, just simply continued to stare back at you. Waiting.

With another sigh you carefully opened your door, stepping out onto the concrete that laid before the bar. Just as your feet hit the ground beneath you Kylo’s driver side door slammed shut. Turning your attention to his side of the car you saw him nudge his head towards the bar.

“Come on.”

Nodding in compliance you followed behind Kylo as he walked into the bar. The interior alone caused your eyes to grow wide. The bar was an almost blindingly shiny chrome silver, surrounded by black walls and red trimming. Each booth and chair inside was black upholestered leather, the ground a lighter silver tone that appeared to illuminate. It must have off-set the dark tone of the surrounding walls. Everything from the bar to the light fixtures above you were all in a sleak and modern design. One that the Gin Joint could never keep up with. Striding up to the bar Kylo spoke up, leaning his tall frame against the structure.

“Phasma.”

From behind the bar a statuesque blonde with sharp blue eyes gazed at you skeptically as she turned to face Kylo. Her somewhat round face was surprisingly harsh in appearance, giving her both a friendly and yet intimidating look. You could already tell she was likely not someone to mess with given her expression as well as her biceps which were accentuated by the sleeveless black dress she wore.

“I have a new bartender here for you.”

The blonde, apparently known as Phasma eyed you up and down as one of her brows arched as if judging you. Though she hadn’t said a word to you yet, you were more than certain she felt nothing positive towards you. There was nothing behind those eyes that read sympathy or content.

“Fresh meat huh?”

Kylo huffed faintly, “Not that fresh. She’s got bartending experience.”

Phasma’s eyes finally met yours after her assessment of you and your appearance.

“Well she’s fresh meat here. Where’d you get your experience?”

“The uh, the Gin Joint.”

Phasma’s brows suddenly rose just slightly as she looked over to Kylo who gave her some sort of slow and discreet nod in response. Phasma turned back to you, her gaze seeming to scan over you once again. Was she judging you for being from the competition? The Gin Joint wasn’t that bad.

“Well then. At least I don’t have to teach you too much.”

Tapping the top of the bar with her palm she nudged her head to you.

“Come around to this side and we’ll get started. We don’t open for another few hours anyway.”

You nodded as you sheepishly tugged at the bottom hem of your top and walked behind the bar with your gaze on the floor. Even though she was just an employee, a bartender, you couldn’t help but be intimidated by her demeanor. Her gaze was almost as intense as Kylo’s with an expression you couldn’t quite read. Standing a few steps away from her you finally looked up to see Kylo giving you both the faintest smirk before he walked off.

“Stay out of trouble.”

As his back turned Phasma’s brows suddenly furrowed as she leaned forward just slightly, as if trying to get a better vantage point of his back.

“Ren!”

He stopped in his trek, turning on his heel to face Phasma.

“When she’s finished up here do we take her to secondary training? You know…considering her situation.”

Secondary training? What in the hell was secondary training? She couldn’t have possibly meant food service, you were already trained to do that as a bartender. Given how unorthodox Kylo was however, it could’ve been anything.

Kylo looked you over, his eyes flicking over your face before they returned to Phasma.

“Let her settle in for a week, then we can go to secondary training.”

Phasma nodded as Kylo gave you another faint smirk. “Welcome to Starkiller (Y/N).”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) finds the ropes of bartending at Starkiller quickly and easily, but things soon take a different turn. Her training soon goes beyond what she is used to, introducing her to new faces and new skills. Skills which she never knew she would need in her position. Only solidfying how different and off everything in this new place is. Though she’s apprehensive about her new training, she has a very invested party watching her every move.

The sun was hitting your skin, soaking straight through your all black attire as well as you strode up the sidewalk. A feeling that you had to relish in as much as you could considering how little of these beams would enter your workplace. You sighed faintly at the thought. It was your place of work now.

It had officially been two weeks since the Gin Joint had gone up in flames. The news had of course covered it, going into hysterics over the sudden explosion. Even more baffling to the press however was how contained it seemed to be, only lightly damaging neighboring buildings. No explosion was going to unfold in such a way unless by an absolute miracle or an absolute expert. Somebody knew what they were doing when they set the flames.

The thought made a shiver go up your spine. You worked with said experts now. For two weeks you shared close quarters with them, made them drinks, let them into their office. Even more disturbing was the fact that you were slowly growing used to it. Perhaps not used to the underlying factors and the constant anxiety, but to all the little things. You were almost accustomed to seeing the masked figures at the backdoor of the kitchen and letting them in. Some of them were even polite enough to bid you a goodnight when they came in. Most of them had also been courteous enough to learn your name instead of referring to you by something degrading. At the very least you knew they had manners for people on their side of the business. All of which, you were growing accustomed to.

Hell you were even growing accustomed to seeing Phasma every day. In an odd and almost unsettling moment you wondered if you could be friends with her. It brought a chill down your spine at the thought but despite it, you remained curious. If you were going to be stuck with them you could at least attempt to make a friend or two. They had to have friends… Right?

Aside from your hairs almost constantly standing on end, the constant trembling of your body at night and the ever heightening level of your anxiety, there was one last thing you had not yet grown accustomed to. Kylo Ren. The man himself was something that you could not find yourself easing up to. He was not only a brooding presence but an intensely pulsing one. It seemed as though wherever he went an ominous cloud and energy followed. A sort of shadow that loomed just beside him and his coy smirk just waiting to destroy you.

The thought of him alone sent a shiver down your spine. It seemed that no matter what scenario he appeared he always warranted a physical response from you. Though it was mostly fear you couldn’t shake the looming thought that there was something more. Just like his presence loomed like a shadow in the dark it seemed your miscellanious thoughts and feelings were lurking just around the corner. You were surprisingly tolerant of his presence in a room, sometimes even calm. For whatever reason his presence was the only one you had interacted with here thus far that made you at least slightly comfortable. Aside from being one of the only people you really interacted with, you couldn’t really place why he made you feel such a way.

Although even with that consideration you worried that all your perceptions were wrong. Was this man truly capable of any redeemable qualities? How true was he going to remain to his promise to keep you alive? Or was he just looming in the corner waiting to strike just as you pictured him before?

You shook your head as if to shake away the thoughts as you approached the Starkiller doors. Those thoughts didn’t need to linger with you as you tried to get through another work day. If anything, they’d hinder your abilities. The airconditioned breeze hit your face as you strode in and the faint hum of music hit your ear. It was almost deceivingly peaceful at this hour, as if you were in a regular bar run by regular people. You could almost smirk about how ironic it was.

Phasma gave a small smirk in your direction as you approached the bar. Truthfully she was surprised to still see you coming in. In her mind you would have likely tried to make a run for it after the third or fourth day. Then again, after knowing you witnessed their tactics, it was no wonder you choked whenever an opportunity could have been presented.

“Afternoon (Y/N).”

You gave her a smile, as odd as it felt to do.

“Hey Phasma.”

“So, what are we up to tonight?”

You shrugged as you slipped your bag onto the back counter.

“I don’t know, I just looked at my hours to be honest.”

“That’s fine.”

Phasma gave you a curt nod before picking up a sheet of paper. She was growing surprisingly patient with you. Even over the past few days you had noticed her growing tolerance for your presence, despite her occasional judging glare. Her eyes scanned over the page in her hand as her brows slowly furrowed a little closer together.

“Well looks like you will be covering half the bar, closing duties as usual and…”

Phasma paused, her brows raising slightly as her features seemed to soften. From the way she was now gazing at this sheet of paper you wondered if something had come up. Considering your boss’ other line of work, it wasn’t far fetched. For all you knew you could have a special assignment to serve yet another group of cronies. Slowly putting down the piece of paper Phasma turned to you with a soft smile. A chill practically ran down your spine at the sight. Her smile may have been a lovely sight, but knowing who she really was made it unnerving. She had never smiled at you like that. Not unless it was in a menacing way, or something devious. Suddenly you could feel your palms start to sweat. There was no way of telling what they had planned next and with the situation at hand there were so many possibilities. Horrifying possibilities.

“Well, I guess you get a surprise today.”

Your gut nearly twisted all the way around, “A surprise?”

Phasma nodded with a smirk, “Oh yes. Follow me.”

Those were words you dreaded here. Unless someone was showing you where to get spare alcohol or bar supplies being asked to follow someone was a small task that you weren’t sure you wanted to partake in. Almost everyone else that worked in this bar was capable of murder and the last thing you wanted to do is blindly follow behind them. You weren’t foolish enough to think they were becoming your friends. You were merely an associate, someone they were cordial with. Not to mention the fact that the word surprise only made the ominous feeling looming inside your mind much worse. Yet again this was not the place nor the crowd you wanted surprises from. Had Phasma asked you to follow her to the loading dock you might have gone willingly. In this scenario however, your will to survive this job was the only thing making your feet move. Had you kept your feet planted to the ground, you very well risked punishment.

As you felt your chest growing heavier you followed behind Phasma, through the doors to the kitchen and down towards the basement. The moment you saw the familiar staircase before you, your heart nearly lodged itself in your throat. If there was anywhere to dispose of you and have no one hear about it, it was there. Swiftly she swung open the door and ushered you in. Even though it was a simple gesture it felt like so much more to you in the moment. What if she really was about to carry out orders? Were you finished here? What if they had decided to lock you down there or something of that nature? Or worse?

You gulped quietly as you walked forward and attempted not to look into her eyes. As your feet made it over the threshhold and onto the cement flooring you heard the door creak and shut behind you. Releasing a sigh you rolled your shoulders and finally looked up. What your eyes came to see however, threw you off.

“What is this?”

Phasma smirked as she outstretched her arm towards the rest of the room. A room which you instantly recognized as a shooting range. A much smaller shooting range than ones you had seen before, but the set up was the same regardless.

“This, (Y/N), is what we here call secondary training.”

Suddenly the words rang a bell in your head. That’s what Kylo had mentioned to her when you first arrived at Starkiller. In an odd sense, it almost made you ease up to know that Kylo had so openly planned this for your time here. Had it been something that lead to your demise he likely would have been far more secretive. Then again, you didn’t know everything about him or the way he worked. You couldn’t help but be nervous to be underground with Phasma in a room loaded with firearms.

“Shooting? Secondary training is shooting?”

Phasma nodded, “Indeed it is. You take the last slot.”

Hesitantly you looked over to the last slot for shooting, as if your eyes alone would be able to detect if a threat lay in waiting for you. Despite your status as their last remaining witness who maintained far too much information you constantly worried about what the future held. They could always decide to just dispose of you, after all what did they have to lose? They had the money. Hell they had assured nobody would ever revive the Gin Joint, what more did they possibly need from you?

Sure enough as you stood in front of the target, eyeing the space around you, there was no threats to be found. It seemed to be a product of your anxious imagination. Taking the slot next to you Phasma sighed as she suddenly opened a hatch before her. Curiosity took a hold of you as you slightly leaned over, trying to sneak a peak at whatever she was doing. Suddenly she pulled out four firearms, instantly catching your attention. Once your eyes landed on them it was as if you couldn’t pull them away. Sure you had seen guns before, but you had not seen these models nor had you ever seen them in these kinds of circumstances. A circumstance where you were expected to pick it up and use it.

Phasma finished loading the fourth gun with bullets, locking it into place. The click nearly made you jump. To think, she hadn’t even fired the gun yet.

“Why am I training to shoot?”

“It’s a requirement here. Especially given the circumstances of your position here.”

Your brows furrowed slightly. What was that supposed to mean?

“Now what you see before you is two handguns, also known as pistols. The first one on the left is a Beretta 92FS. The one next to it, the preferred model, due to the ease of finding them on the market and their large magazine capacity, is a Glock 17.”

You nodded, hoping to the maker that you wouldn’t be quizzed on this sort of thing later. It certainly wasn’t a regular thing you had to keep in mind when usually bartending. Phasma placed two of the guns before you nearly making you break into a cold sweat. She was one of the last people you wanted hovering that closely to you with a loaded firearm, let alone two.

“Although I’d prefer you to train with just the Glock, Ren has insisted you train with both. Apparently in certain circumstances you wouldn’t have time to choose one model over the other and would need to grab whatever is closest.”

You nodded, “Makes sense.”

“That is of course, unless it’s one of the bigger guns we have stocked here.”

Your heart lodged into your throat for a moment. Really in reflection you shouldn’t have been surprised that they did have them.

“B-bigger guns?”

Phasma casually nodded, “AK-47′s especially.”

You tried to refrain from widening your eyes yet you still felt the strain on your eyelids. AK-47′s were used in the military weren’t they? Did these people really need that big of ammunition? In a bar?

Phasma suddenly clapped her hands together causing an echo which nearly sent you out of your skin.

“Let’s get started then. You need to return to the bar sooner than later. Pick up the Beretta.”

You nodded and did as she said, cautiously picking up the gun. Your fingers continued to tremble as they brushed against the cold metal. It felt as though your heart was going into overdrive now, the anxiety building. Why on earth did they need to train you with shooting in the first place? That was the question plaguing your mind. Of course members of a mob would have guns and ammunition, but why did you need to be a part of all of that? Was there some subplot to this whole ordeal that you weren’t familiarized with?

Phasma walked up beside you, inching closer as she observed your form. She could easily see you trembling. Internally she rolled her eyes. In her mind you should’ve known this was what you were getting into. There was no need to be nervous.

“Now aim at the target and take at least three shots.”

Shakily your hands lifted the gun, aiming it towards the faceless black outline of what was supposed to be your opponent. Considering this was the first time you were ever handling a gun, especially in this sort of scenario, it amazed you how decently straight your arms were. You were certain with your nerves they would be shaking with your hands. With the heat of Phasma’s gaze beside you however, you were certain she thought you were sloppy. You released a deep breath, trying to focus. Perhaps if you just focused on the target before you and didn’t acknowledge Phasma’s presence beside you or what would happen after this it would be easier.

Phasma assessed you for a moment with furrowed brows.

“Are you going to shoot? Most opposing individuals aren’t going to wait for you to do your breathing excercises.”

You fumbled for a second as you turned to look at her, “I uh, I thought I was waiting for your q-”

“Shoot.”

In an instant you felt yourself flinch and turn right back to your proper position. With hardly any hesitatin you pulled your finger back on the trigger, mainly out of fear of Phasma. You could feel your body jump in surprise at the loud bang that escaped the weapon in your grip. With your fear over what Phasma might do to you, you found yourself finishing the last two shots quickly.

2

3

Once the last one slipped you released a heavy breath, as if you had been holding it the whole way through. Your heart was still beating rapidly beneath your chest, thudding against your flesh. The flow of blood felt as though it were heating all of your skin, like a giant gulp of whiskey traveling down your system. The barrell was still smoking as your chest rose and fell. You were so drawn into the rush you were feeling that you had hardly noticed Phasma looking over your shoulder. She looked to the target and gave a faint huff. There were at least two bullet marks in the targets right arm and one in its waist.

“Well, you could certainly use practice. …Not too bad though.”

You were almost stunned that she had offered you a compliment. Phasma did not seem like the type who would dare do such a thing for you. Then again, with how things were going in your life, anything was possible. As your eyes looked to the sheet laying over the silhouette however, you saw exactly why you were getting any praise at all. You had hit the sheet. As someone who had never handled a gun before you had somehow managed to at least hit the proper surface.

Phasma locked her amunition into place, making you jump slightly.

“Next round.”

* * *

 

A while later you found yourself behind the bar once again. Secondary training had certainly shaken you up the slightest and you still pondered over the whole thing. Your focus should have probably been on the drinks, but considering nothing seemed to be going wrong, you kept your mind reeling. If you were just a bartender they were taking on why did you need to know how to shoot? Was there shootouts that you weren’t aware of that occured at this bar? If there were more people like Rick out there, who knew how many debts they would be collecting. Although you wouldn’t be a part of collecting your mind couldn’t help but wander to another possibility. Did they have debt they owed someone else? Was there a group more menacing than them just waiting for the right moment to strike?

Almost instantly you could feel your anxiety building, your heart pumping against your ribs. You had never considered the fact that there might be outside threats. How could you have possibly forgotten that detail? Of course there were going to be oppossing entities. With how Kylo and his “knights” were in business, you should have considered that all along. There had to be someone that was after them.

Your eyes began to widen. What if someone else was going to be coming after you?

“(Y/N)!”

Startled you snapped back into reality with your heart practically leaping out of your flesh. Phasma was standing a few feet away from you, attempting to get your attention. You could tell in the ways her brows were creased that she was at least mildly annoyed with you.

“Ren wants to speak with you.”

That same familiar chill ran down your spine, “What?”

“You heard me. He’s in his office.”

You looked to the backdoor then to Phasma. It wasn’t like you would get to choose if you could skip out or not, but you were certainly considering it.

“Do I-”

“Just go. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

That alone was enough to make you finally put down your current task and begin shuffling away from the bar. Phasma watched you carefully after giving you a curt nod. You were almost certain she was assessing just how filled with fear you were. It wouldn’t surprise you in the least if she fed off of that. Perhaps it would get her through her shift tonight after dealing with you and artillery.

The moment you stepped into the back you felt the energy shift. A small sea of eyes all turned towards you, awaiting you to announce an order or something. Instead you stared back at them, your cheeks growing hot as words failed to come to you. Hell even your feet seemed to suddenly stop in place with all of this attention. Still unable to muster up words you just gave them a half hearted smile before quickly making your way through. The longer you took to get to Ren, the more likely you were to just slip away entirely.

From the weight of the gazes you felt on your back as you passed through, you were more than positive that this wasn’t a normal procedure for Kylo. People didn’t stare like that normally at the bar. Even knowing why you were there you were never under observation for more than 15 seconds. The idea of it all had your anxiety bubbling up yet again.

You had only truly interacted with Kylo twice before and from both interactions, you were not at all certain what kind of impression you were supposed to draw. He was horridly intimidating and most certainly threatening. Yet in the same breathe his eyes always seemed to convey a different story than the ones slipping off his tongue. Of course, that could easily mean he was a psychopath. Your breathing started to grow more shallow the closer you got to his office. The more you considered how uncertain you were of what kind of man he was the more you dreaded this meeting. In addition to the fact that Phasma had told you nothing of the nature of Ren’s insistance to see you, you had absolutely no clue as to what you were about to walk into.

Soon enough you saw his door before you. Much like the rest of the bar it had a greatly smooth and modern look. To anyone who would wander back here it looked like just any door, but to you and your coworkers this door sitting at the end of the back hall was like its own horrifying entity. Though it had nothing to resemble eyes you could almost swear it felt like it was staring you down.

With a sigh you ran your sweaty palms down the front of your uniform, attempting to compose yourself. At the very least you could appear as though none of this had you rattled with fear.

“You can do this…you can do this.”

With not an ounce of steadiness in your moves you knocked lightly on the door, practically trembling through the whole thing. At this point it felt as though your heart was slowly migrating up into the space between your ears. Heat was certainly flushing the entirety of your flesh as you waited for some type of response. From the other side you suddenly heard that familiar baritone voice.

“Come in!”

Of course he wouldn’t be opening the door for you. What kind of mob boss got up from his seat just to politely open the door?

Slowly you opened the door to Kylo’s office, almost amazed at the absolute lack of a creak or even slightest crack from it. Then again, as if you kept forgetting what type of people you were working for, it made sense. A man like him would probably want every part of his job done as stealthily as possible. That certainly wasn’t helping your nerves. Once your eyes finally began to focus on the room before you, you instantly started taking mental notes.

The room was almost entirely black and monochrome, or some shade of grey. Though it was not as sleak and shiny as the rest of the building it certainly had its own sort of modern appearance. The walls were hardly decorated, not even the slightest emblem or writing was to be found. The lines from floor to ceiling were really the only things there. The lighting was fairly dim, almost a relief to your often strained retinas. Kylo sat behind a smooth lined black desk with his hands clasped before him, his large body reclined ever so slightly in his seat. Seeing you finally walk into the room he gestured to the chair before his desk.

“Take a seat.”

His voice was especially calm, almost making you forget about how nervous you were initially.

Suddenly your eyes wandered around his desk, taking note of all the decor that sat atop it, as if making up for the lack of such adornments elsewhere. It all seemed like decor, until you paid more attention. It was all trays and tiers lined and filled with small treats. Judgining by Kylo’s build you wouldn’t have been surprised to see such a bountiful feast before him, but everything your eyes landed on was surely fattening.

Slowly you walked towards the seat, putting a lot more thought than usual into the steps you took. Although you were certain that Kylo was more than aware of your fear, you didn’t want to so vulnerably or openly express it. He already had such an advantage over you. With a trembling and hesitant hand you reached forward and pulled the seat towards you, slowly slipping yourself into it as you tried to make eyecontact with Kylo. Your curious gaze was already met with an intensely focused one, nearly making you jump in place. His eyes were so appealing, yet so incredibly passionate in whatever emotion he felt. It was as though he was conveying them onto you.

For a moment the room fell silent with Kylo simply staring at you. You weren’t certain if you were supposed to speak first or if he was. From the way his eyes were boring into you though you were certain you’d have to muster up something to say.

“I’m sorry for pulling you from your shift.”

You shrugged in an attempt to seem cool and calm, “It’s not the worst thing.”

Kylo smirked before pointing to the trays before him, “Please help yourself.”

Your eyes wandered to the desserts before you, oggling at all the variety. Even at weddings and high tea in the most formal of places you had never seen this many things displayed at once. Of course your mind had to take it down another path. This wasn’t high tea or a wedding, it was a meeting in a murderer’s personal office in his bar in which he ran his crime business. For all you knew some of these desserts could have been filled with tainted cream or subtly filled with sedatives.

Sensing your hesitation Kylo lightly huffed, “Nothing’s going to happen if you eat, (Y/N). Aside from maybe the typical cavitiy or less than a quarter of a pound gained.”

Your eyes flickered back to him, as if his expression would assure you. Oddly enough it almost did. He seemed rather relaxed and earnest in his words. Turning back to the desserts you slowly and carefully pulled a bite size eclair from one of the trays and placed it onto the small plate that had conveinently been placed before your seat. Despite your hesitation you decided to take a bite and instantly felt content that you had. It was probably one of the best eclairs you had eaten.

After a moment of Kylo simply staring at you, feeling heat pool up to your cheeks you finally decided to speak first.

“…May I ask why I was pulled from my shift?”

Kylo shifted in his seat, reclining slightly once again as his eyes drifted off to the side of the table.

“I just wanted to check in with you. See how things were going.”

The comment itself was enough to have you pausing from your enjoyment of your sweet treat. Kylo’s gaze met yours once again, this time his focus seemed far more serious than a moment ago.

You gulped, “I…I’m doing fine.”

“You like working here so far?”

You nodded. You weren’t going to elaborate but it certainly wasn’t a lie that thus far it was a decent place to work. Aside from the constant anxiety that something or someone was coming to get you.

“You seem to be adjusting nicely to the bartending here. I’ve had no complaints of your work.”

A faint little smile tugged at the corner of your lips despite your nerves, “That’s good.”

“I’ve had no complaints from coworkers either. How are you doing with them?”

“Fine…I suppose. I’m not sure how they respond to me.”

Kylo smirked slightly, “So far they seem to be responding just fine. Trust me if someone had a problem they would waste no time in telling me.”

You nodded. On the one hand it made you curious as to how much your coworkers would truly complain to Kylo even if they weren’t fans of yours. On the other, perhaps you were making far better impressions than you had presumed you would.

Kylo leaned forward as he took one of the desserts for himself, his smirk still playing across his lips.

“Phasma told me you finally did your secondary training today.”

“I did, yes. It was on my schedule.”

He nodded as he took a bite, “As it should be.”

“Should be?”

You weren’t even sure how you had mustered up the three seconds of courage to even say that aloud but you obviously had somehow. Now you just watched as Ren nodded in response.

“Considering the circumstances under which you came here, I figured it would be smart to train you in the basics of a firearm. Should anything happen.”

“…Like what?”

Kylo released some air through his nostrils as he picked up another dessert. This one being a scone which he cracked in half. Slowly he picked up a small butter knife and dipped it into a jar, soon spreading the contents onto the scone. Even an action as trivial as this had you glued to Kylo. Your eyes did not want to physically leave him. Whether it was because you found him that handsome or because of the dull knife he was holding you weren’t so certain. He took a not so conservative bite, smearing some of the contents of his pastry onto his lips. In an eerrie coincidence you watched as a little sliver of red jam slipped down the corner of his mouth before he licked it up. Leaving only a faint red smear in its place. You couldn’t help but wonder if he chose that one on purpose.

“Although I’m certainly a wanted man by many accounts, my concerns for you lie with one group specifically.”

Your brows furrowed, unable to take your concentration or gaze anywhere else but Kylo. Aside from his little theatrics with pastries he seemed to finally be speaking business with you. Not beating around with pleasantries and vague questions.

“There’s a group that directly conflicts with everyone here, including myself. …Now that the Gin Joint is in the news, I have no doubt they’ll be hoping to stop by sometime soon.”

This instantly had your heart racing again. Was there something worse than Kylo to fear out in this city? And if the Gin Joint was one of their main focuses of concern, would that lead them to you? You could feel heat pooling through your flesh as your eyes stayed focused on Kylo whose gaze was not faltering either. Considering how unpredictable he was as well, he could have been playing a game with you. Then again considering how blunt he had been thus far, why would he stop now? Unless that meant something else for your fate.

Kylo smirked, “But I think we’ll be ready for them.”

Suddenly all the heat in your body seemed to instantly go ice cold. The smirk on his lips and the lack of emotion in his tone had you on edge. There was no way to decipher what he meant. Despite being a fairly blunt man he was also heavily mysterious and occasionally spoke in vague sentiments. He could have meant that you would be ready to fight off this group with them or that you would be used as bait to lure them to him. Or even that he would assure you weren’t there for them to find. Either way, you weren’t in the slightest prepared for such a task or to possess such a fact.

With his eyes still focused on you Kylo licked the remaining red jam from his finger, almost assuring you saw him take the red substance to his lips. Although he was handsome you couldn’t help but have your stomach churn. The conversation you were having now did not make this anywhere in the slightest appealing. Had he carried on the conversation like it started you might have responded more playfully.

His brows furrowed slightly, “Are you going to take more of the sweets?”

You shook your head slightly, “No thank you.”

“Are you-”

Before he could finish his thought you were suddenly interrupted by the door swinging open. Rather aggressively as well. Seeing Kylo turn his attention towards the door you cautiously looked over your shoulder. Although you were certain curiosity in this place could get you killed, you couldn’t help yourself in this scenario.

Your gaze was met with a head of familiar firey red hair and an equally familiar and unsettling sharp blue glare. Out of all the people you had interacted with at Starkiller thus far, Hux, as you learned his name was, unsettled you the most. Something in his eyes and the way he constantly gave you heavily seething looks made your skin crawl. You knew under his terms you were likely not welcome or at the very least seen as less than someone like him.

Kylo’s nostrils flared, which you caught sight of as you quickly turned back around. He tensed his jaw as he glared back at Hux.

“What do you want?”

“May I have a word?”

“Can’t you see I’m meeting with one of my employees?”

Hux scoffed, “Word from the Supreme Leader takes preference over employees. Especially one who should be assisting her coworker.”

You just barely started sink into your seat. Had you really been gone that long that the bar suddenly grew even busier? Kylo’s nostrils flared again as he looked from Hux to you. His eyes instantly shifted as they met your gaze. The feeling you got just from looking into his eyes almost made your prior nerves evaporate. As if his eyes were pleading with you not to give into your anxious queries and ideas. You could almost hear the apology he was going to give about this based on the look he was giving you.

“It would appear I have an urgent manner to tend to (Y/N). We’ll set aside a better time to discuss your progress here in the future.”

You nodded in response, genuinely calmed that he wasn’t yelling at you to get out instead. It’s what you would have expected based on your experience thus far.

“You’re free to return to your post at the bar. Don’t forget to take your 15 after Phasma.”

You nodded as you swiftly stood from the chair and stepped aside from it, “Yes sir.”

He smirked, “Please. Call me Kylo.”

You nodded again, “Sure, Kylo.”

He gave you a curt nod as your signal to go, to which you quickly responded. Once you were out of that seat you could feel the heat of Hux’s gaze burning into your back. You knew for certain the longer you stayed the thicker the tension in the air would grow. You’d much rather breathe easy in a place like this than suffocate.

Once the door shut behind you, Hux instantly turned to Kylo. His sneer was not even concealed in the slightest. There was no use in hiding how he truly felt from Kylo. It wasn’t as though it were a mystery how much they abhored each other.

“What the hell was that about?”

Kylo’s jaw tensed again, “I was holding a check in meeting with our newest employee.”

Hux scoffed, “And what’s all this rubbish scattered across your desk? I certainly don’t remember being offered this at my meetings.”

“They’re just a late night snack.”

“An entire table of them set up as though this were a tea party?”

“I happened to have them-”

“Bullshit.”

Kylo stood from his desk, bracing his weight against it as his hands gripped onto the edge.

“What does it matter to you Hux?”

Hux stepped closer, “It matters quite a bit to me considering you and your behavior.”

Kylo’s brows furrowed, “My behavior?!”

“You’re distracted!”

“I am-”

“Don’t you fucking deny it! I can see it in your eyes every damn time I come in here.”

Kylo’s nostrils flared once again, his knuckles turning white against the strain.

“Your eyes are constantly fleating away towards her, you constantly ask about her progress, you spend far too much dillydallying around the bar, you also spend a fair amount of time thinking about her and don’t you dare try to deny that.”

Kylo stood silent this time, opting to just glare back at Hux.

“You know what happened the last time you got distracted.”

“It’s over Hux.”

“It may be over but we can’t forget how long it took to recooperate and rebuild for the sake of your damn personal vendetta!!”

“It was one that served the Order!”

Hux now flared his nostrils, attempting not to escalate things further with Kylo. Although he despised the man he knew he needed to remain mildly civil. For one delusional reason or another the Supreme Leader valued Kylo at an especially notable level. One that even Hux could not contest, but often liked to question.

“That may be so but we both know whatever you have going on with this little bartender is anything but. It is not nearly as beneficial of a distraction to the Order as the one prior.”

“She holds information about-”

“She gave you all the information she had that we needed! You know it, I know it.”

Kylo went silent, his adams apple bobbing in his neck. Hux had him there. They already had the information they had really needed from you.

“Her working here is the biggest load of shit you’ve tried to pass-”

Kylo dramatically gestured with his hands, as if his anger could not be contained nor expressed in just his voice.

“Is it?! What happened if she went off and told the cops one night everything she saw?! Was I supposed to let her go?!”

“You were supposed to finish the job!!”

Kylo stopped again, swallowing. Hux sneered as his pride practically seeped through his half smirk.

“We both know you fall short on that quite often.”

Kylo’s knuckles started to tense again before Hux began speaking once more.

“But I digress.”

Kylo scoffed as he moved back from the table, running a hand through his ebony locks. He could hardly stand Hux on a regular day, and now with this, his patience was riding on a thread. He swiftly pulled out a cigarette and lighter.

“We can discuss that at another time. We have more important business to attend to.”

“What news do you have from the Supreme Leader?”

Hux crossed his arms, taking a seat in the chair you had been residing in prior.

“They’re preparing.”

Kylo turned towards Hux with a cigarette fuming from his lips. There weren’t even words needed to ellaborate on that topic, they both already knew exactly what that meant. Kylo slowly seated himself back into his chair, flicking the ashes off of his cigarette butt.

“How long do we have?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) attempts still to adjust to her job at Starkiller. Even with her apparent acceptance from her coworkers she still cannot fully grasp or make peace with what she has been roped into. It becomes even harder to grasp on one particular evening.

A month had passed since the meeting with Ren. Despite his reassurance that day and in the meetings that would follow every week, you could still not shake the feeling inside of you. Sure it was a nice place to work. Your coworkers were becoming oddly tolerable when you were on the clock, you were even growing more curious as to who Kylo Ren was, but the anxiety still lingered. Every day that same looming shadow seemed to metaphorically follow you.

Ever since that meeting with Kylo there had been absolutely no clarification as to what was coming. All that you knew at this point was that someone was coming and they were likely looking for you. The only living employee from that night left. At this point you knew none of your coworkers would come to help, Rick’s wife had also already fled the area. You were it.

Part of you wondered if you could make a run for it before the said threat came about. If you packed your things and got as far away as you could, you might be able to start over. Then again you had pondered the same idea when the Gin Joint first went up in flames, and judging by where you were standing now running was a crap choice. Besides, just like you had told yourself then, if you ran someone would manage to find you. There was no point.

A sudden thud to the counter before you jolted your attention back to the present. Phasma stood beside you, instantly pouring something with a clear coloring into the glass, cascading over the ice cubes inside. You barely had to look over at her to know she was frustrated. The energy nearly radiated out of her every pore.

“Bastards.”

You almost smirked before finally turning in her direction, “Tough crowd?”

“You could say that.”

You gave a little hum in acknowledgement, though you’re certain she didn’t hear you over the sounds surrounding you both. Considering it was the weekend you had not only blaring music playing but a sea of voices, glasses clinking, laughter, yells. All of it meshing together to give a specific ambience. While it was normal for most bars, you had began to question every weekend if people like Ren purposely used this business as his coverup because of weekend traffic. Certainly no diners or coffee shops would be providing the same type of environment as an upscale bar. With all of the music, chatter and overall layout of the building you knew for a fact it would be nearly impossible to tell if he was taking care of business on any particular evening.

Shaking your head after that thought, as if trying to rid your mind of it you turned back to the glasses you were trying to clean.

“At least everyone after them will tip good.”

She scoffed slightly, “Eh.”

A seeming silence fell between you, as the voices and music surrounding you engulfed the air between you. Although at times it felt awkward to be holding a normal human conversation with Phasma you couldn’t help but feel awkward in your shared moments of silence as well. Something about not at least keeping her mind engaged with you and keeping a civil coworker relationship always put you on edge. Just as you were about to speak again she suddenly cut back in.

“Ren wants to meet with you again on your lunch. Just so you know.”

You felt a shiver go through you at the mention. While you certainly found Kylo Ren fascinating and mysterious, nothing could entirely shake the underlying fear you had of who he really was and what he really did. Even with the apparent promise that you would never be his target, you weren’t so quick to trust. Even with weekly meetings you always wondered if anything was going to change. Especially with a potential threat being on the horizon.

“Why?”

Phasma looked over at you with furrowed brows, “As if I know. You’ll have to find out.”

That didn’t help your nerves at all. There were already a thousand unanswered questions when it came to Kylo Ren, the last thing you needed was for everyday of your career to add onto that list. While he may have spoken to you kindly and cordially you did not doubt what could be brewing behind those enticing but intimidating eyes. It took no genius to know that he was good at what he did and he knew how to get away with it.

Though his cordial demeanor with you did make you question him a little more you dismissed it. He was likely making sure you didn’t feel immediately threatened. If you were, you were certain he would believe you to be a snitch. Surely he was keeping you “in-line”, nothing more. Nothing more.

“Are you nervous all of a sudden?”

You shook your head, this time a little slower than usual. It was unlike Phasma to be at all interested in how you were feeling or what you were thinking. Her sudden interest in your hesitant but compliant nature towards Kylo was certainly new. You wondered if she was trying to occupy her thoughts with your problems rather than her own.

“No. It’s just…”

Phasma smirked, “Odd?”

You looked at her for a moment before she chuckled faintly, giving your shoulder a pat.

“Don’t look so frightened. I’m not going to tell him anything.”

“But-”

“Despite what you think Ren does not need to know every single thing that comes out of your mouth. I’m sure he would love to know, but unless it concerns our work here it’s none of his business.”

Your brows furrowed, “What do you mean by that?”

“That unless you’re talking about running away or burning down the whole bar, he doesn’t need to know what we talk about.”

“No, no, I got that part.”

Phasma smirked, “You mean the would love to know everything that falls out of your mouth part?”

You nodded, “Does he think I’m that bad?”

A little snort left Phasma as she shook her head, her blonde hair toussling slightly.

“Oh (Y/N). Dear (Y/N).”

“What?”

She sighed, suddenly slinging one of her long arms around your shoulders. The contact nearly turned you to ice. Phasma was one of the last people you ever suspected to be on the receiving end of contact from unless she was going to punch you. Despite her usual serial killer vibe she seemed completely unphased by her sudden friendly demeanor towards you.

“Yes, Ren does worry that you might say something about what’s happened, but that’s not why he hangs on your every word.”

You finally made eye contact with her, almost making you breathless at the details you could see in her irises due to your proximity. Truthfully you weren’t certain you wanted to know that she had as blue of eyes as she had.

“Why then?”

“Oh come on.”

Your brows furrowed all over again, “No seriously, why?”

Phasma shook her head once again as she slipped her arm away from you and went to pick up the glasses she had poured.

“I’ll just say this, he’s never had a meeting to check-in with me since I was hired 5 years ago with my own questionable history. How many have you had now?”

You gulped, “Umm…6.”

Phasma arched a brow, “Hmm.”

With that she sauntered off to her customers with their drinks in hand. As she walked off you felt as though everything was suddenly moving shut out around you. Your train of thought completely engulfed your senses, you could hardly smell all the hard liquor surrounding you anymore, the sound of music dulled behind you and you could hardly feel anything. It was as if her brief response flipped a switch inside of you.

Was there something more to the way that Kylo treated you? Half of the time you were anywhere near him you spent more time keeping your eyes on him than actually listening to what he was saying. Although there was a risk in letting your nerves take over in such a way, you had yet to shake the habit. You couldn’t entirely help it. Now that it was brought into question, you began to wonder if you had missed something that Phasma and everyone else was seeing. Had he said something to you that was supposed to be an obvious hint of something more? Were there gestures or something else you weren’t aware of that they were? Or were they the ones misreading their leader? Perhaps you had it figured out and they were the ones losing touch with him. You almost snorted at the idea, of course you weren’t more intuned to him than them.

Part of you did feel as though there were some sort of connection whether professional or otherwise between you that nobody else had with him here. It wasn’t quite clear if that connection, no matter what it was, was a positive or negative thing.

Just as your mind was about to go reeling in all sorts of other directions you were suddenly pulled straight out of the current and brought back to the present.

“Hey.”

Your head turns to the left to see a fairly attractive man attempting to grab your attention. He’s definitely not one of the regular customers that you see on the other side of the bar and you don’t see any of your other coworkers going out of their way to speak to him. At least not that you were aware of. You give him a shy smile.

“Hey.”

“Can I get a drink?”

You suddenly turn yourself towards the bar with a subtle shake of your head, “Oh yeah sorry.”

He chuckled, “Nah don’t apologize, I was just asking.”

“What can I get you?”

“How about a little Daniels on the rocks?”

You nod, “Comin’ right up.”

Swiftly you swipe one of the Jack Daniels bottles and a glass that you had just cleaned and place them before your new customer. You attempt to put the cubes into the glass just as quickly, assuring that none of them slip out of the glass. As you begin pouring the stranger speaks up again.

“So, what’s a beautiful lady like yourself doing in a place like this?”

Although the question seemed odd, considering how decently attractive most of the staff here was, you decided to acknowledge it.

“Living the dream I suppose.”

“The dream is Starkiller?”

You smirked, “Sure. What are you doing here?”

“Grabbing over priced drinks from a beauty like you.”

You pointed a finger at him as you slid the glass towards him, “Hey those drinks pay my bills.”

He lifted his glass to you with a slight shrug, “Touche.”

After taking a sip he gave you a fairly deep and slow gaze from head to toe. Instantly you could feel heat pulling into your cheeks from the weight of his eyes on you.

“So when you’re not living the dream or paying bills, you get out at all?”

You shrugged, “When I want to.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean everyone’s gotta get out at some point.”

He considered your words for a moment, taking an especially long moment to absorb them. You wondered if he was pausing to formulate a response or if he was really that impressed with such a simple answer.

“You ever go out with someone else?”

The heat behind your cheeks flared, “Sometimes.”

He smirked, “Well maybe sometime I could take you out.”

You could practically hear the confidence in his tone, the way he smirked at you from behind his glass. Though he had barely spoken to you he seemed to be at least mildly convinced he could score a date with you.

“Why?”

He chuckled, “Cause I like you.”

“You just met me.”

“And?”

You shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“All the more reason to consider it.”

You shook your head with a faint smile. From your past at the Gin Joint you were used to being hit on by customers after a good number of drinks were in their system. This however was a little different. He was certainly not drunk from only two sips and he was far too well spoken to be drunk off his ass from earlier in the evening. There was a genuine sense of interest and confidence from him. With a sly smirk he gently gripped onto your wrist and pulled out a sharpie, meeting your gaze he raised his brows. “If I may?” You shrugged. At this point this was about the last thing that was going to be the weirdest encounter you had here. Swiftly he gently wrote a series of numbers onto your lower forearm. It certainly made your brows raise when you realized what he was doing. He pulled away after a moment and looked at it with a smile.

“Remi?”

He nodded, “That’s me.”

“Well, nice to meet you.”

Gently he pulled your hand towards him, placing a chaste kiss to the back of your hand without once pulling away his gaze from yours. It certainly made the heat behind your flesh flare once again, as if some kindling had fueled the flames. With a smirk he pulled away and released your hand.

“A pleasure to meet you.”

You gave him a nervous but curteous nod before he gestured to your wrist, “Remember to sleep on it.”

With that he gave you a wink and began walking away from the bar. A small smile broke across your face as you tried to hide your girlish reaction to his handsome stranger, Remi, taken an interest in you. Almost all of the patrons who paid you attention at the Gin Joint were far older and certainly nowhere near as attractive as this man was. For a moment your surroundings almost suspended in time, as if you were not really in Starkiller, but some other upbeat bar.

Just as you released a sigh to center yourself back into your surroundings, you felt your entire body go stiff. As your eyes opened you were met with a sight that you were certain had never been placed before you prior. Just a couple feet away, behind a small grouping of people Kylo loomed. His presence was nearly impossible to miss even though his attire almost always made him practically blend into the surroundings.

His eyes were entirely fixated on you, the honey brown suddenly seeming far more menacing in the moment. You could have sworn he wasn’t blinking either, as if he were concerned with missing another fleeting moment. What made a lump form in your throat however was the absolutely unclear expression on his face. You were used to him being stoic, it was his default. However when he spoke to you or even glanced at you he at least had a look of mild indifference or curiosity. This was far more blurred and difficult to translate. He could have been fuming, or he could have just been intently watching you work. You weren’t certain.

What you were certain of however was that after a moment of glaring at you he immediately turned and began pushing past people. His steps were swift and certainly seemed to hold a purpose. While your heart began to pound faster, wondering if he was coming for you, his direction proved you wrong. He was going off to the side. As your eyes followed him the lump in your throat only seemed to swell as you realized where he was going. He was walking after Remi.

For a moment you almost felt like you were gasping for air, trying to get a grip on your own self. The music was suddenly thumping in your chest, your feet a little lighter on the ground and your head nearly spinning. You could have been overreacting, but something about the way he looked at you made you think otherwise. There was a certain lack of response in those irises that you weren’t used to seeing. Knowing what he was capable of as well, you couldn’t help but to feel so offset. Had you unknowingly sicked Ren onto Remi? Just as your hand went to rest against your forehead Phasma approached you, her brows knitting together.

“You ok?”

You hummed, “Sure.”

“Well you need to take your 30. Don’t forget to meet with Ren.”

His name seemed to make the image of his eyes burning into you flash before you again. You swallowed the ever-growing lump in your throat and tried to give Phasma a nod of acknowledgement.

“Sure.”

She gave you a good pat to the shoulder, as if aware of your sudden lack of awareness as well as confidence. For once it was a welcomed gesture. If anything it reminded you that you were still there, in the flesh. With a sigh you turned towards the doors and walked through the kitchen, trying to avoid eye contact with as many people as possible. You weren’t even sure if they were aware of your situation, you just didn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment. For at least a half an hour you wanted to disappear into the apparent break room and cease to exist for just a little while.

As you made your way out of the brightly lit kitchen you pushed through to the dimly lit hall, trying to get to the break room swiftly. Your trek was interrupted suddenly however when you noticed a presence just a few feet away. Your eyes cautiously traveled up, unsure of what type of energy you were going to be met with. Yet again you nearly turned stiff as your eyes met a piercing blue pair. No matter what you experienced with Kylo, there was one thing for certain. Hux was by far the most cringeworthy character of them all. Just his presence made your skin crawl and your throat dry. You could feel the energy that radiated from him and none of it was remotely positive. The way he was looking at you now also didn’t help your apparent fear of him. Just like Kylo he was focused only on you, his eyes practically burning through your face. With Hux however you could easily read his expression. From the way his lips seemed to curve, the way his brows pulled together and his eyes subtly narrowed. He loathed you, and he loathed even seeing you here.

Just as you were about to attempt a smile or explain yourself you suddenly heard another door further down the hall open. Both you and Hux had your attention pulled towards it. Almost instantly you regretted not making a beeline for the breakroom. In the opened door Kylo stood, his chest subtly heaving, his eyes still holding that almost unreadable energy and his face visibly glistening from what you assumed was sweat. Yet again his eyes went to you like a magnet, ignoring Hux’s presence almost entirely.

Almost instantly you could feel the tension build in the air. It wasn’t entirely foreign to you. At this point you had come to an understanding that Hux and Kylo did not mix well together but were forced to deal with each other here. No matter how relative the tension was though, you would never grow used to the feeling it brought in your chest. You could almost always swear it was like your ribs were constricting in on your lungs.

For a moment Hux looked between you and Kylo, taking a second to assess each of your faces. After a second you could have sworn his lip curled up subtly in digust.

“Ren.”

Kylo still maintained eye contact with you, as if he didn’t want to look away. Like you were going to disappear if he averted his gaze. Though there was still an intensity there you could also see something else merging with it, something far softer. Something that would be the last thing you ever expected to see in Kylo’s consistently stern face. It certainly didn’t take all the edge away from his appearance, but it was something to make you wonder.

“Ren!”

At that he finally snapped his attention towards Hux, daggers in his gaze once again. Even you could feel the heat hitting Hux from where you were standing. Hux sneered at him still.

“We need to discuss some matters.”

Kylo didn’t respond still, merely staring at Hux with the same glare. For a moment he turned to look at you, pulling Hux’s gaze with it. At the sudden attention from both men you felt your gut knot up. There was something about the collective that made you nervous, and you weren’t certain why it required both bodies present, but you felt it regardless. Perhaps it was the idea of possibly being outnumbered if Hux ever convinced Kylo to drop his act or Kylo gave Hux the ok to do whatever he likely imagined doing to you.

With a heavy gust of air releasing from your nostrils you slowly made your way to the breakroom. Although it was nearly impossible for you to break eye contact with them both glaring at you, you couldn’t help but to keep your focus on them as you made your way over. At the very least you had to know what they were both doing until you slipped behind the door. There had to be a level of awareness for you in order to feel even remotely safe around these individuals.

After a few slow and uneasy steps you made your way into the breakroom, finally seeing a source of light. As you reached the inside you swiftly turned and closed the door. The second the metal clicked against the doorframe you released a deep breath, still holding onto the knob as a support for your weight. Something was coming.

* * *

 

Finn tapped his ear piece, narrowing his eyes at the screen before him. Although the screen provided no visual clues he knew for a fact it was likely the last connection he had to this colleauge.

“Remi?”

He waited for a moment before tapping his piece once again, stepping just a little bit closer to the screen. Looking for any sign of activity or hoping for a sudden surge of noise in response to his call.

“Come in Remi. Remi come in!”

He tried again, receiving nothing but white noise from his ear piece. After a moment of watching the screen he scoffed, removing the piece from his ear with clunk to the metal table before him. Rose turned to him with concern in her eyes, moving the cord that connected her own headpiece to the screens before them.

“What’s happening?”

“We lost him.”

“What do you mean we lost him?”

“He’s not responding, there’s no connection.”

“Remi is one of our best-”

“Yeah well, not anymore.”

At that he turned on his heel and began walking through the building. His stride swiftly carried him through to his destination a couple yards away. Entering into the bustling room of multiple screens, computers, communication devices and all sorts of various desks and stations, Finn swerved around a flury of individuals. Soon enough he saw Leia and Poe speaking to each other in front of one of the smaller screens.

“Leia.”

Leia instantly perked up, her attention and gaze turning towards Finn. Poe followed suit as his brows lifted slightly, his eyes fixating on his friend.

“Any news?”

Finn’s nostrils faintly flared as he tried to tone down his sigh, “We lost Remi. Ren must have gotten to him first.”

Leia’s eyes cast down suddenly to the floor, as if hit by the loss physically. Although she had to grow used to losing members of her team, the loss of those in her life never got particularly easier.

“Did he give us any intel before he went silent?”

Finn gave a solemn but firm nod, “They have at least one of Ren’s accomplices working the bar. And someone else.”

Poe piped in, “Who?”

“Someone who used to work at the Gin Joint.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things to start to unravel far more swiftly than anyone would have wished in the First Order following the night of Remi’s visit to the bar. As Hux and Kylo have a fall out, Kylo soon attempts to calm (Y/N), only to make things worse and lead them both into a suddenly unexpected situation.

Hux’s fist slammed down on the metal table before him, sending a slight ripple up his arm. His neck was strained, his blue eyes nearly bulging out of the sockets. Despite the dimmer lighting it was greatly apparent on his pale complexion, especially to the equally seething man across from him.

“Damn it Ren, pay attention!”

Kylo merely stood across the table from Hux, wearing his usual indifferent expression. He knew they had to discuss business, but so long as Hux was the one doing the majority of the talking the more he would want to leave.

“Just because you ignored me last night does not mean we are going to have a reoccurence today!”

“Things were too hectic yesterday.”

“Every day of your life is hectic, what the hell do you mean?! We had a perfectly good moment to discuss the matters which transpired and you decided to ignore me entirely and pine over your favorite employee!!”

Kylo nearly snapped into attention, “I did not pine!”

“Regardless you dismissed the opportunity to discuss whatever the hell is going on!”

Kylo’s nostrils flared as he glared at Hux. As much as he knew that he was right, he couldn’t bear to admit it. The way he reacted, although it was like him to dismiss Hux, was so unlike him. He would have taken care of things, and yet it seemed that the night took a different route.

Kylo sighed, “Fine.”

He turned more of his body towards Hux, a more serious edge glazing over his eyes.

“You have my attention.”

Instantly Kylo was met with a harsh near-scream to the face from Hux, “You nearly let information slip to the Resistance!!”

Kylo grit his teeth, “I took care of the job! They don’t know anything thanks to me.”

“Bullshit!! You didn’t even know he was an informant, you only took care of it because of your precious little bartender being flirted with!!”

“Was that not a red flag?!!! He was going to get information from her!”

“You know you didn’t know that until after you pursued him. Besides how would he know who she even is?!!”

“The Resistance has done business with Rick before. They’ve seen her face!! They know the whole staff!! If they knew she was there that night they were likely looking for her!!”

Hux’s nostrils flared as he glared across the table at his colleague. He hated to admit that Kylo was even seen as valuable to this organization. He could easily think of ways they could thrive without him. For whatever reason though, their boss Snoke saw some form of potential in him.

“Because of me that little snitch got no information through to the Resistance.”

“We don’t know that for sure. Besides. Had it not been for your little harlette living to see another day he wouldn’t have come looking at our bar in the first place.”

Kylo’s glare turned lethal, his lashes hardly moving to conceal the flames burning in his eyes.

“He would have come either way.”

“Are you so certain? What with your very enticing piece of the puzzle left behind you don’t think that added some interest?”

The tension in the room could practically choke anyone else who walked in. The air was heavy, Kylo’s nostrils faintly flaring as he glared with daggers at Hux.

“We’ve discussed this.”

“Have we?”

Unfaltered, Kylo continued to glare at Hux from across the table. He didn’t want a second to go by with Hux thinking he had an upper hand. The problem with that of course, was that both men saw themselves as having the upper hand. Neither of them willing to consider that they were on an equal playing field.

“You don’t seem to like discussing your failure of finishing the job when it concerns your little bartender.”

“You seem far too invested in it.”

“Oh contrare, you are the one far too invested.”

Kylo smacked his clenched fist against the table, his neck straining slightly. Almost mirroring the exact look Hux had moments ago.

“I am doing what I have to!”

Hux sneered, “You’re playing a game. Keeping her for your own devices.”

“That’s not true!”

Hux turned to fully face Kylo across the table, his finger pointing almost directly into Kylo’s face.

“You certainly are defensive about it.”

Kylo grit his teeth again, “Because you’re on my ass every day about it.”

“You fancy her far too much and you know it! Whether you admit it or not you know deep down you do!!”

“That’s not a crime nor is it relevant!”

“So you admit it?!”

“I admitted nothing!”

“You wouldn’t have to keep an eye on her if you had finished the job!!”

“There was no mention of murdering the entire staff!!”

“Well there should have been!”

Kylo’s brows furrowed, “And make it three times as obvious as to who did it?!! That wasn’t the plan! We weren’t supposed to leave a trail!!”

“No one would have had to know!! The explosion would have taken care of it!”

“That’s a load of shit! The explosion happened after we cleared the bar as Snoke requested! Any other approach would have led everyone straight to us!”

Hux seethed even more now, the volatile anger practically dripping off of his tongue as he yelled at Kylo.

“That’s an excuse!!”

“It’s the truth!!”

Hux’s nostrils flared still, the red blooming up his skin. The anger was not only tangible in the air but more than evident in his features. Surely he was angry on a regular basis, but today, he was out for blood.

“This doesn’t change the subject, that you let your personal interests get in the way once again of the First Order’s mission.”

“I didn’t-”

“Whether you will admit it or not, technical details or lack thereof, you know you’re out of line.”

“I would beg to differ.”

Swiftly Hux took a few short steps to Kylo’s side of the table, his eyes still burning and his features almost contorted with rage. The motion was much like a wild cat circling its prey, taking in the last moments of life before it made its strike.

“Mark my words Ren. I will finish the job.”

He began to walk away, leaving Kylo staring at the wall with his hands firmly grasping onto the edge of the table as if to ground himself. Hux turned towards him once more after cracking open the door.

“We will not risk everything because of you and your reckless tendencies.”

Kylo’s teeth grit together, “You can’t make a scene.”

Hux smirked deviously, “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

With that Hux slammed the door shut behind him. Slowly Kylo’s knuckles started to turn paler, going white against the metal as his grip tightened. Though his head wanted to start going in circle of what could potentially happen he found that it all led to one clear trail. Hux was going to get rid of you and be sure to make it quiet and unnoticeable. He should have known that Hux was going to do this, but his emotions and all that was going on around him certainly didn’t help him to concentrate. He had been so caught up in everything he forgot to ensure your security from the people inside the building.

Suddenly his eyes widened at the thought. You were in the building at that very moment.

* * *

 

Everything within you seemed to be trembling. Ever since seeing Kylo stalk after Remi, all of the nerves you had pushed down seemed to surge to the surface at full force. Ever since his eyes had bored into you, you started to question if your special treatment from him no longer stood. The way he had not even blinked when gazing at you, knowing full and well you had been talking to Remi, made your gut plummet. There was no real indication if you had upset him, if he was jealous or if Remi had more of a past with the First Order than you were aware of. It was all one big mystery.

To add to your nerves it also seemed as though Kylo was nowhere to be seen on your walk into Starkiller. The halls were empty, the bar only attended by you and Phasma and the kitchen only populated by the usual staff. As if nothing had happened last night. Certainly they were used to it, considering their line of work, but it all seemed odd. Something still had your hairs standing on end.

“You alright?”

Phasma cut you out of your train of thought once again, as if slapping you across the cheek. Her tone while not harsh always startled you a bit.

“Hmm?”

Phasma articulated her words more poignantly, with a condescending tone. She likely was tired of how much you spaced off.

“Are you alright?”

You gave her a small nod, “Yeah, sure.”

Her brow arched, “Sure?”

A sigh escaped you. At this point you weren’t certain just how much you wanted to share with Phasma. She had never really told you just how close she was to Hux or Kylo, which did not settle you at all. You knew she hardly spoke with “the Knights” but spoke frequently with Hux. A man who very clearly despised you.

“Care to elaborate?”

“…Not really.”

“Did what I say about Ren make you that disoriented?”

You cleared your throat, “Yes and no.”

Phasma swiftly took a peek around the bar, assuring no one was within earshot of you two. Although she still wasn’t your biggest fan, she knew what it was like to be the newest addition to the establishment. Plus, you were someone new to talk to.

“You know you can tell me.”

Feeling a little more defiant you turned towards Phasma, crossing your arms under your chest, “Can I?”

She nodded, “I may not like you all that much, but if it keeps you content and not shutting the whole place down I can manage.”

Although it was a backhanded olive branch, as if she were slapping you with it, you certainly were going to take what you could get. It’s not like they were all open to speaking with you at any point.

“I mean it is…disorienting to think that he thinks of me in the way you were insinuating. But last night just made it even worse.”

“Why’s that?”

“He…he went after someone.”

Her brows furrowed, “After them?”

You swallowed, already feeling your heart beat faster. The scenario played out in such horrific ways in your imagination you could hardly stand the fact that one of them could have been real. Like a nightmare realized before your eyes.

“Someone I was talking to.”

Phasma’s brow arched, “Hmm. While I don’t want to assume he would chase someone down for talking to you, its not entirely out of his nature. Did they seem suspicious at all?”

You shook your head, “No.”

She shrugged with a sigh, “Then I don’t know. Perhaps he saw something you didn’t, or something else.”

As much as you appreciated having the one person to talk to in Phasma, you absolutely hated her vague sentiments. This was not the type of establishment or group to be vague about. Unless you were speaking to strangers there was no reason to leave so much unanswered.

“Something else?”

Phasma’s nostrils flared for a moment, her eyes seeming to avoid you for a moment before flitting back in your direction. She had obviously had to think over her response to you.

“Lets just say Ren does what he has to, to protect what’s his.”

Your brows furrowed together. She gave you no other inklings than that. Though you wished she would have elaborated, you also were glad she had turned away from you. The words unsettled you for a moment, crinkling your nose at the thoughts swirling through your head. Was this some kind of pissing competition for Kylo? Where he had to assure no one else had a chance to get close to you so he could? Did he see you as a romantic conquest?

You shuddered at the thought. While he was certainly handsome and had a charm about him you couldn’t quite place, he was also a giant mystery himself. All that you knew about him was that he had the potential and resources to take out anyone he wanted. The stealth nature to be anywhere without alerting you to his presence and the intelligence to get away with whatever he wanted. The idea of his eyes on you constantly wasn’t always the most pleasing idea when you considered all of that. Flattering certainly, but definitely not calming.

At the same time as the idea of fear played into your mind you also couldn’t help the feeling of anger that began to boil. If he really was looking at you as some type of conquest, you were certainly not going to stand for it. Just because he had leverage over you did not mean that you had to stand down and do whatever he wanted. You were not a toy for anyone to play with and not a prize to be won either.

Phasma’s voice cut into your thoughts once again, “Speak of the devil.”

At that your head swiftly snapped up to the rest of Starkiller only to see exactly the plague of your mind. Kylo Ren. He was walking up to the bar again, another unreadable expression on his face. You could have almost made it out before a young man swept straight into your line of vision. He wore a cocky smirk across his lips, much like Remi had. The thought made you shudder yet again.

“Hey beautiful.”

As the words escaped his mouth you swore you felt your throat lock up entirely. Fear took over again. You knew Kylo was not far behind him, and considering how last night’s events went you were certain this young man was not going to depart in a good sense of the word.

“H-hey.”

“Can I-”

Suddenly a broad shoulder pushed the young man out of your line off to the side. The young man’s brows kintted together as he glared over at the shoulder in question. Of course it was Kylo, and of course he was not even beginning to acknowledge the man he shoved out of the way.

“What the fuck man?!”

Kylo’s eyes stayed locked on yours, “(Y/N), can I have a word?”

For a moment you hesitated, looking between the man and Kylo. Kylo’s tone certainly implied that you should not be questioning him in the moment. The lapse of judgement however was not apparent in the moment, only how your insides felt. You then turned to look at Phasma. As she saw your eyes lock onto hers, she sighed with a roll of her eyes. She was obviously done with you for the night.

“Go.”

You looked back to Kylo who just barely nudged his head to gesture for you to follow him. Giving him a stiff nod in return you walked around Phasma to go towards the kitchen. From the corner of your eye you could see Kylo swiftly mimic your actions, swerving around a couple patrons before he made his way towards the kitchen.

As your palm laid against the cold kitchen door you let out a deep breath, hoping to tame your rapidly beating heart. You weren’t certain what you were going to do but you knew you had to do something in order to spare the young man at the bar. Possibly even yourself. There was always a possibility this wasn’t even about the men speaking to you and Phasma had misread the whole thing. It could have been something else entirely.

Walking in you were greeted by the same sight you had almost always seen when you were on shift. Everyone was hustling through the space, efficiently and swiftly completing their tasks and only looking up to give you a short and small smile of acknowledgement. It was definitely the only smile you were likely going to be receiving tonight. The door to the kitchen behind you swung open, hitting your back with a soft breeze to catch your attention. Swiftly you turned around and felt your throat swell. Seeing Kylo walk into the bright lights of the kitchen you almost instantly reacted. You couldn’t hold it in any longer. The fear, the anxiety, the uncertainty. Before you could think to hold back you suddenly felt your eyes well up, your insides trembling as an almost choked sob left your throat. Instantly you could see Kylo’s reaction as his brows furrowed in perplexion.

“Please don-n’t hurt him. He didn’t do anything I swear.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Th-that guy, please don’t do what you did to Remi.”

Your tears only grew worse as Kylo stepped closer. You really didn’t want to be the reason someone’s life was ended. Especially if it would be ended in a cruel way. You didn’t care if that’s what he did best or if he was that weirdly jealous of anyone to approach you, nobody deserved to die because of it.

Kylo’s eyes went to the rest of the kitchen for a moment, assessing who was listening and who was paying no mind to the conversation you were having. The last thing he wanted to do was draw too much attention to your conversation. The staff was not supposed to know more than what was classified to them. The reason you were there and all that was going on behind the scenes was certainly not anything that was supposed to be disclosed to them. He turned his attention back to you, seeing the tears glisten in your eyes.

Kylo attempted to reach forward, “(Y/N).”

You flinched as you took a step away from him, “Why did you do it?”

He stared at you for a moment longer, realizing now just how upset you looked. You were visibly overwhelmed with emotion and most certainly not handling it well. Even from the beginning when you had been brought to him by the knights you seemed at least mildly composed despite the circumstances. Now however it seemed you were coming undone.

“Why did you-”

Instantly his hand flew up in front of you, “SHH!”

Despite his attempt to pull your attention to the small group of eyes trying their hardest not to focus on you, you continued on.

“Just tell me please.”

As another sob racked through you, Kylo’s head started spinning. Hux could be anywhere in the building at this point and if he didn’t tell you what could possibly happen or get you out of there, you would be done for. Gesturing with his hands before you, he tried to keep his voice level.

“(Y/N), Remi was not supposed to be here.”

Your brows furrowed. As if he knew what kind of people should and shouldn’t be in his bar? Who did he think he was?

“He was speaking to you so he could use you.”

“Use me?”

Kylo nodded, “Listen, there’s things more important than-”

“More important?”

You nearly spat in his face, “You killed him. I know you did.”

Almost instantly you could see the shift in Kylo’s expression. Everything went rigid and the little light in his eyes dimmed.

“(Y/N)-”

You seethed, “You killed him!”

“Shh!”

Paranoid, Kylo’s eyes instantly went over to the staff and surprisingly found no one was looking in their direction. They must have missed that moment, or were too afraid to look him in the eye. Even if they weren’t aware, they knew not to cross Kylo.

“Why would you do that and not just-”

“We can talk about it later, you need to listen to me.”

“No! I’m still here despite everything and I deserve answers!”

“(Y/N)-”

“You jackass!”

Now you could both tell that all eyes were on you as the kitchen grew suspiciously quiet. Everyone stayed glued to you for a moment as Kylo’s chest heaved. He knew he couldn’t lash out nor raise his voice any higher without exposing everything. His nostrils flared as his eyes bored into you. He was already frustrated, but now it was all steering too close to where he did not want.

“Let’s discuss this outside.”

You huffed out a gust of air, flaring your own nostrils in frustration. It was really the only request of Kylo’s you were willing to fulfill at this point. The least you could agree on was that the kitchen staff did not need to be in on everything you were going through and feeling. If you were going to live to continue to work with them you needed to keep the slate clean.

Wordlessly Kylo stepped over to the door leading to the hallway, gently pushing it open for you. His eyes didn’t once leave you as you walked out of the door, your hands in front of you and your eyes still watering. Now that there would likely be no witnesses to your conversation you couldn’t help but grow more anxious. This was not the setup you needed right now.

As you walked out and down the hallway, you swore it was the longest ten seconds of your life. Just the feeling of his eyes burning into you as you went to step outside, the tension that carried through the air between you. It was all weighing on you at once. The emotions raging within you certainly didn’t cease either. It all consumed you until your senses nearly went mute. Walking a couple feet into the alley/parking lot behind the bar you let out a shuddering breath. The sound was a great representation of your nerves, uneven and heavy.

Slowly turning to face Kylo you tried to compose yourself a little more. At least wiping your nose against your sleeve. You couldn’t be entirely vulnerable in front of him. No matter what fear struck inside of you. Kylo’s hand slid through his locks as he released a deep breath of his own.

“Why would you kill him if he was going to use me? Why is that your business? Even if I work for you, you don’t-”

Instantly Kylo cut you off with a subtly venom behind his tongue, “It’s more complicated than that. He wasn’t interested in you in a romantic sense.”

“Bull-”

“He was an informant for the Resistance (Y/N)! He knew who you were before he approached you! They were going to use you to get to us!”

Suddenly everything came to a halt. You had remembered the mention of something called the Resistance. Though you couldn’t ever pinpoint what they were likely talking about, you knew it consumed a lot of their conversations. Was this what he had meant by something was coming? Was Remi the something?

“What?”

“He was going to take you out to keep the illusion, but you were ultimately a pawn.”

Your gut sank. You had really felt for this man, thought that he was genuinely interested and some monster took him out of the picture out of jealousy. Now it appeared the story had changed drastically. Remi was not the innocent pretty boy you thought he was. Then again, lying was part of Kylo’s profession. Your blood boiled again. What if this was all an act for him? Turn Remi into the bad guy so you’d view him as the hero. After all, Phasma had laid the foundation and if Kylo would do what he had to to protect what he thought was his why would he count out deception?

Feeling the rage build you decided to confront him on it. You could always decide later if it was a smart decision.

“You’re lying.”

“(Y/N) I would not waste my time with this shit if it was a lie! Now listen to me!”

“Why should I?!”

“Because-”

All of a sudden you were both rendered silent as shots rang out through the alleyway. Both of you quickly dropped to the ground, anxiously looking all around you. Kylo quickly caught on to the black vehicle with that infamous insigna right on the hood sitting just in the narrow of the alley with the doors slightly opened. It was the Resistance.

Just as he grit his teeth and returned a few shots to the incoming fire, your sudden gasp for air caught his attention. You were laid out on the cement, breathing heavily and your (Y/E/C) eyes were as wide as saucers. Obviously you were going into shock, the look on your face said it all.

“(Y/N)!”

You looked up slightly, terror painted across your face. Kylo aggressively gestured towards the bar.

“Get inside!”

You cried out, “I don’t want to get up!”

“You have to!”

Trembling in fear you watched as Kylo fired back at the mystery vehicle in the alley. You wondered how nobody could possibly be arriving to the scene if there was this much fire power being exchanged. Just as that thought crossed your mind your attention was suddenly pulled to the bar door swinging open abruptly. The light illuminated that all the familiar masked faces were flowing out. Seamlessly they came together and began firing back with Kylo, finally returning a good amount of heat.

Kylo yelled at you again, “(Y/N) get your ass inside now!!”

Although his anger had you reconsidering pulling your body up off the ground, the idea of incoming bullets kept you anchored down. You couldn’t do it. You had never been in a situation like this and there was no way to know how to dodge all that was coming at you. You would rather humiliate yourself here than die trying to escape. As tears began to pool in your eyes at the thought, you took in the moment. Never in a million years did you think your life would come to you laying on the ground at the total mercy of two rival mobs shooting at each other behind the bar where you were forced to bartend.

A sob wracked through your body when suddenly you felt a warm grip envelop your arm. As you gasped, eyes flying up you suddenly realized it was Kylo. Splitting his attention between you and firing back at the Resistance members. For a moment you were in awe. He was actually, apparently, concerned about your wellbeing.

“Come on, I’ve got you!”

You nodded quickly as you pulled yourself up off of the ground, trying to hide as much of yourself behind Kylo’s body as you possibly could. In a strange way, one that you weren’t sure you wanted to think about, you could almost shield yourself entirely just by hiding behind him. He truly was built like a brick wall. One that was especially going to come in handy in this scenario. Seconds later he was moving you both to the side with a solid grip on your arm. His eyes were still focused forward as he rained bullets in on the Resistance members hiding in the alley. Without missing a beat he managed to take swift and stable steps towards the bar while not once turning his back to the Resistance or loosening his grip on you. Although the motive for him protecting you was still cloudy, you were oddly comforted by the gesture. Sure there was no way of knowing what it all meant, but at least he was keeping you alive. Showing enough care towards your wellbeing to at least assure you weren’t being shot. Certainly if you were disposable to him he wouldn’t even waste the time to shield you.

As you got closer to the door you suddenly saw light filter out onto the knights. Your mind was consumed for a moment in trying to see how the knights looked under the almost golden hues before you realized what was standing in the doorway. Just as your eyes traveled up, you stiffened like a board with a gasp escaping your lungs. Hux was standing there with a vengance burning in his eyes. You could see the flames in that icey blue stare and it made your skin crawl.

In a slight delay Kylo’s eyes finally traveled to where yours were at the moment. The instant he saw Hux glaring at him he could feel his blood boiling within him. Aside from the way he felt about Hux in general, the nights leading up to this moment were nothing short of some of the most tense exchanges the two had shared. While anger ate away at Kylo he suddenly took note of something aside from Hux’s ugly sneer. A long black pistol revealed itself from Hux’s side, his gaze concentrated on something other than the square between Kylo’s brows. Before he could fully process why he was aiming that way, he heard the shot. As the bullet flew through the air it suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks.

You.

Hux was aiming for you.

Not wasting a moment Kylo tried to pivot you away from the bullet only to hear a loud shriek ring into his ears. The noise practically made him feel your pain. The sheer gut reaction and fear the sound carried. Dread suddenly spread through him. While the Resistance was being held at bay, if he had to fight off Hux as well there was no way he could contain the chaos that would ensue. And there would certainly be no way to keep you from not dying on that very cement lot. He wasn’t even certain where you had been shot.

Without a second thought Kylo fired a few shots in Hux’s direction, causing him to brace the door shut urgently. As the knights eyes pulled between Kylo and the Resistance, they continued firing, trying not to pay too much attention to their master. For a moment he seemed as if he was trying to get their attenton by firing shots just above their heads, and yet he seemed to be much more invested in something else.

Feeling the heat drip down your body you swore everything began moving in slow motion. The world around you was nearly spinning and the sounds of gunfire seemed to be secondary to whatever your body was feeling. You had really been shot. You couldn’t even process the fact that Hux had aimed for you properly before the metal collided with your flesh. The whole feeling was almost unable to be described. There was no one word to describe it all, you felt so many things in the moment. Every moment of the scene that had played out had its own feeling and connotation with it. Now as your head spun, both at the situation and the blood beginning to spill, you felt your arm shake. You certainly weren’t the one shaking it. Which is when you took note of the warmth wrapped around it. It wasn’t aggressive, but it certainly was meant to pull your attention.

Snapping your head back up you were met with Kylo’s eyes staring straight into yours. Unlike other times he had spoken to you, you felt as though you could read them. That is, if you were in a more stable state of mind.

“(Y/N)!”

Suddenly your back was on cold cement, the warm grip on your arm still ever present as both Kylo and the night sky came into your vision. The second Kylo moved in however his face seemed to blur out.

“(Y/N)!”

His voice seemed to become more muffled for a moment as your eyes fluttered. You wanted to stay conscious enough to respond and look him in the eyes, but everything felt too heavy to do so. The world too fast and recklessly spinning to allow you even that moment. As you saw Kylo’s lips move one last time, still gripping onto your arm, your eyes began to shut like a curtain on his performance.

And then it all went dark.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After everything that has transpired between Hux and Kylo, Kylo tries to construct a plan. Knowing the Resistance is on his tail and may have their grips on some vital information also adds a new element of urgency and danger.

_The room was dimly lit. The faint hues of light seeming to be almost romantic, as if moonlight were filtering into the space. It was soft, and yet eerie at the same time. Sauntering over to the couch, the traces of moonlight illuminated Kylo’s pale complexion. Highlighting the details that most would not ever know, or would at least assume. It was certainly the most vulnerable state he would ever let anyone witness him in. Especially with his predatory saunter and gaze. He may have been exposed, but he was still the most powerful in the room. As his facial features became a little more clearly illuminated, he came to a stop._

_“Feeling better?”_

_You smiled from your place on the couch, lazily reclined on the cushions as if it were your own home._

_“I suppose.”_

_His brow arched, “You suppose?”_

_You shrugged, the fabric of your robe rustling against the cushion. He stepped closer, making the space between you even more scarce. Scarce to the point that you could feel the body heat radiating off of him._

_“You’re alive aren’t you?”_

_Your brows suddenly crinkled together. Were you alive?_

_This certainly felt unreal and your reaction seemed to translate your lack of an answer._

_“…I don’t know.”_

_Kylo smirked deviously as he leaned in even closer, now brushing his lips against your earlobe. You felt yourself shudder at the contact, one that was certainly not expected and one of the most intimate things you had experienced in a while._

_“Wake up.”_

_“Hmm?”_

_Giving you a chaste and warm kiss to the ear he whispered huskily again, “Wake up.”_

_As you still refused to reply to him his lips seemed to travel further past your ear and down the nape of your neck. Gently he laid one after the other, leaving a trail of wet kisses against your now hot skin._

_“Wake up.”_

_As he found a sweet spot on your neck, suddenly biting the skin you released a drastic gasp._

* * *

 

Instantly your body shot up, a sharp intake of air following the gesture. Your chest was heaving, your body most certainly covered in a thin layer of sweat and your heart rapidly beating. Although the dream had been pleasant, you were certainly thankful you had jolted awake before it went any further. Especially now that your senses were coming back to you.

You could feel the dull pain throbbing in your side contrasting with the soft brush of possibly the highest quality sheets you had ever slept in. However, your sheets certainly weren’t of this quality. They weren’t this color either. Even in the faint light of the night, with only moonlight filtering through the blinds, you knew that. Suddenly your wildly beating heart seemed to thump even deeper than before.

If you weren’t in your own bed, than who the hell’s bed were you in?

Looking around the room there absolutely no cues as to who the room belonged to. The grey walls had no pictures, aside from a rather abstract painting behind the headboard that consisted of black and red paint which matched perfectly with the matte black cotton comforter and white sheets. The bedside table had nothing but a, surprise, black alarm clock and a silver Rolex. It also seemed that their closet was shut to give you any hints of their wardrobe. Although you were fairly certain you could guess what color they would be.

As your eyes traveled to the other corner of the room you suddenly heard a voice.

“You’re awake.”

You nearly shrieked, biting back the beginning of your horrified scream as you clutched the foreign sheets to your figure. Which you also now realized was dressed in some sort of over sized band t-shirt with your work pants still in tact.

“I certainly am now.”

From the corner you heard the huff of laughter.

It was Kylo.

Finally making him out in the further corner of the room, mindlessly spinning some little trinket in his fingers with his eyes intently focused on it. To your surprise he was dressed in far more casual clothes than you would have ever imagined him owning. He dawned a casual t-shirt with a design you couldn’t make out with a very predictable pair of black sweat pants. Remembering your situation once again, you shook your head slightly before focusing in on Kylo.

“Where am I?”

“You’re my guest.”

Your lips pressed into a firm line, “That wasn’t funny the first time, it’s not funny now.”

Kylo shrugged half-heartedly as he finally set down whatever was keeping his attention.

You sighed, “Where, am I?”

“You’re at my home.”

Your heart nearly stopped for a moment as your lips parted once again, “What?!”

“You got shot, what did you think I was going to do? Leave you to bleed out in the parking lot?”

“It’s not like you’d care! And if you did why didn’t you take me to a hospital?!”

He shook his head, “Cops frequent the ER. The last thing I needed to do was walk in there and get you treated only to be thrown in jail for working for me.”

Just as you went to yell at him again, you suddenly winced in pain. The stabbing sensation in your side suddenly flared up again. Taking this as incentive to investigate you rolled up your new mystery top to expose your inflamed skin. Sure enough as the fabric lifted you could see the patch which had been placed over your wound. Almost perfectly applied and seemingly clean.

You looked up to Kylo with furrowed brows, “You did this?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I’ve done it for myself multiple times.”

You rolled your eyes as you dropped the shirt back down, “Of course you have.”

Kylo suddenly stood to his full height, moving towards the door to the bedroom.

“No need to thank me all at once.”

With no other acknowledgement of you he swung the door shut, leaving you in darkness once again. Typical, you thought. Of course he would storm off like a child at your response. You were talking back a lot more than he likely expected. No matter what gesture of allowing you into his home he extended however, it would never change that he was the one who got you into this whole thing in the first place. Or at least his knights. Who were still connected to him.

Although you were critical of him and his overall actions, you were certainly thankful for the gesture. While you spit out that he likely wouldn’t care, you couldn’t help but to question if you were entirely in the right. Had he not cared he wouldn’t have shielded you, he wouldn’t have stopped anyone from shooting you, he wouldn’t have helped you out of the lot, he wouldn’t have considered the possibility of jail time for you if he left you with professionals, and he certainly wouldn’t have gone to the effort or strain to help heal you.

A warmth filled you at the flurry of thoughts. Did he…really care? Deep down under all of that shrouded darkness and mystery did he actually possess some humanity? You sat there for a moment with your arms crossed, considering the idea. He had certainly treated you better than you expected when you first met him, that didn’t however change his occupation or how brutal he could be. It certainly didn’t change his rather smart-ass way of greeting you when you awoke either.

Releasing a sigh you went to look at your bedside table only to have your brows raise. Right beside you was a steaming hot plate of tomato soup and what appeared to be an attempt at a grilled cheese sandwich. Just beside all of that food as well rested a very inviting glass of water and a dose of ibuprofen. It didn’t even stop there, there was also small instructions on how to use the TV taped to the sleak black remote beside all of your food.

It appeared as though, on some level, Kylo did care. Perhaps not in the way other people would, but certainly in his own sort of fashion. He had given you shelter, treated your wounds, given you privacy and assured that you were not only fed but medicated. Of course he wasn’t there to oversee that you did as he wished, for your own wellbeing, but the gesture was enough. It was far more than you would have ever assumed him to be capable of. For anyone other than himself of course.

You sneered again. Just because he cared didn’t mean he was a saint. It was only surprising. His behavior was no salvation for the way he had treated you before or the way he treated others consistently.

Leaning over to the bedside table you carefully brought the bowl of soup before you. Relishing in the warmth of it on your lap and the hearty scent filling your nostrils. The rumble in your stomach only confirmed how much you needed this and how much your insides were going to appreciate it.

Carefully dipping your spoon in you brought a morsel up to your lips, slurping it in. A soft smile spread across your face at the taste on your tongue. This was just the comfort food you desired. Although it wouldn’t bring all around comfort, it could at least give you the temporary illusion and feeling of it.

As you kept eating your soup and sandwich you switched on the TV, surfing through channels mindlessly. At the very least you could take advantage of this time off and try to shake away the idea of where you were and what was happening.

* * *

 

Another day or so had passed and you were now faced with another meal. It was about the fifth one you had been given. Medication and the theme of comfort still ever present. Even accompanied with a stern ‘are you ok?’. Or the occasional and surprisingly courteous lift to the restroom if you needed it. Though you didn’t respond to any of them or speak to him when he carried you, you were happily surprised that the behaviors kept appearing. That the food still came warm and untampered and the medication in perfect doses. It was both wonderful and shocking. Considering whose home you were in.

A surprisingly delicious looking stack of pancakes with some syrup decorating them was staring at you now. They smelt and tasted wonderful, despite the so-so presentation they were given in. A dated plastic plate with scratches around the edges and a paper towel beneath it. Then again, it was Kylo you were talking about. Not Gordon Ramsey.

Softly chewing a few bites of the fluffy goodness you looked up timidly at Kylo, who was seated in the corner yet again. Waiting for you to finish so he could once again leave with his dishware. He looked visibly frustrated with his lips in more of a pout and his brows almost consistently furrowed.

Although he would never openly admit it to you, you knew your lack of comments in response to how surprisingly hospitable he was was bothering him. It wasn’t like him and he certainly was going out of his usual ways to assure you were alright. You knew it and he most definitely knew it. In the stereotypical case of someone like him he was supposed to drop you somewhere and never regard you again. The stark difference in how he was acting was certainly one to take note of. It was not expected and, though you also hated to admit it, appreciated.

Seeing Kylo still avoiding looking in your direction you couldn’t help but mull over the whole situation. Once the hot metal of that bullet had collided with your abdomen you were sure that you were done for. Thanks to Kylo however, despite all his flaws that you could only begin to imagine, you survived. Which as much as you wanted to believe was not all it was cracked up to be, you couldn’t think of a single thing that he would gain by keeping you alive. Had you died in the shoot out he could have easily blamed the Resistance and kept moving with his life. For whatever reason he seemed to break character, just for you.

A little flutter rippled through your gut at the thought. Perhaps your special treatment on his behalf was not spent just yet. Setting down your fork you kept your eyes on Kylo, finishing the chewing of one of your pancake morsels.

You cleared your throat, “I uh.”

Kylo seemed to hesitate with whatever he was doing, still not making eye contact with you. From the stillness he held now though you assumed you at least had his attention.

“…I’m sorry. For being standoffish for the last couple of hours…err days. …I really am grateful that you cared enough to not let me bleed out and die in the parking lot.”

His shoulders seemed to lose some tension. Although he was not facing you or acknowledging you at the moment, you hoped this was at least going to peel away some of the lingering tension between you. If you were going to be stuck here and continuing to be carried around and cared for, you didn’t want him to loathe you.

“And for bringing me into your own home…even though that’s also kinda creepy.”

He snorted faintly as his body finally turned towards you, “Sure.”

Your eyes scanned over him once again. Wondering if he would implore any further. So many of your experiences with Kylo that bordered talking about anything other than work always seemed to be very short and to the point. Though he already gave you the impression of hating small talk, you felt as though there was always something hanging just off the edge of his tongue every time.

“But I really am thankful. I know my apprehension makes it seem otherwise.”

“I understand your apprehension.”

A flutter almost rippled through your insides, a little genuine smirk almost tugging at your lips. Sure his profession was nothing to fawn over, but his awareness of your innermost fear and anxiety towards him was appreciated. At least he wasn’t ignorant. You had met plenty of those types in your life already. Although the stakes with them were usually much lower.

As Kylo began to turn his attention elsewhere again, your brows furrowed.

“You’re not much of a talker are you?”

He huffed a small puff of air as his nose crinkled slightly with a smirk, “No.”

Silence began to fill the space again, making you mildly uncomfortable. You could guess as to why he wasn’t much of a talker, but you also couldn’t bare the defeaning silence. It made you want to curl into yourself and hide under the covers.

As you considered doing just that your attention was suddenly pulled towards the door. Busting into the room with a patter against the hardwood floors was a rather large black doberman with pointed ears. It was almost like fate was handing you an ice breaker. That was until the large dog jumped onto the bed, instantly catching Kylo’s attention.

“Zeus! Down!”

Without regarding Kylo the dog, apparently named Zeus, came striding up towards you. First sniffing your breakfast as his nose just barely grazed over your meal before he turned his attention towards you. Releasing a small bark you flinched slightly before a smile spread across your face. It was as if the dog was asking you what you were doing there. Or giving his own introductions.

“Zeus, get down!”

As Zeus began to lick your face and giggles erupted from you, you shook your head.

“He’s fine.”

Kylo groaned, “He’s been trained to stay off of there.”

You shrugged as you began scratching began his ears, “I’m sure you can make an exception.”

He gave you a look for a moment, as if he was trying to decipher if there was a hidden message. Truthfully there was a hint of one, but you weren’t really thinking of it as the words tumbled out.

“When did you get this guy?”

Kylo turned himself towards you again, “About 5 years ago.”

“Was he a gift or something? Or you have an interest in doberman?”

“I found him in an alley, smaller than the palm of my hand in a cardboard box. I figured I might as well take him in.”

You smiled at the thought of this brooding man crouching down to scoop up a puppy practically the size of a small potato.

“Aw, that’s nice of you.”

“Selfish too. I wanted a dog, didn’t have to pay for him.”

“That’s fair. But you also saved him from who knows what.”

Kylo bit his lip for a moment as if he had to contemplate the idea of him saving something despite doing just that hours ago.

“I suppose I did.”

“Seems to be a pattern.”

His eyes narrowed at you as you shot him a smirk, “It’s not frequent.”

You rolled your eyes, “Anyway. He’s a cutie and it’s a good thing you took him in.”

“…Do you have any pets?”

The question almost surprised you. You were certain you were going to be spending this time drilling Kylo for responses with him showing no interest in your own responses. Of course considering how things were going lately, surprising twists seemed to be a recurring theme.

“I have a cat. It’s a Burmese named Merlin.”

He chuckled slightly, “Merlin?”

You shot him a look, “What? It suits him.”

“Ok. Why that name though?”

“Cause like Merlin the wizard he’s a little out there.”

Kylo chuckled again. The sound was almost surreal, you would have guessed he only laughed in sinister moments, or not at all. This was much more human and much more endearing than you would have ever pictured him.

“I like it.”

“Thank you.”

Silence fell over you once again as Kylo faintly nodded and you bit the inside of your cheek. Right in that moment it seemed the character you imagined as Kylo Ren in all realms reappeared. He was stoic, quiet, his lips pressed into a thin line as if in frustration. Or perhaps keeping his thoughts at bay. His ever heavy presence seemed to manifest once again as the air felt a little thicker the longer he avoided looking in your direction.

He turned to you suddenly with a sigh, “If you need anything call me.”

You nodded, “Oh, ok.”

Almost too swiftly Kylo stood from his position and went straight to the door. Turning to look over his shoulder for one moment he let out a whistle, instantly alerting Zeus to look his way.

“Come on Zeus.”

Just as quickly the pointy eared companion hopped off of the bed and followed behind Kylo. As they both exited Kylo closed the door behind them, leaving you yet again alone and with only your thoughts.

You sighed as you laid your hands over your lap, slouching further into the mattress. As much as you were anxious when you usually interacted with Kylo, you had actually enjoyed his company for the few moments that he finally decided to speak to you. There was always more to him though than what met the eye.

* * *

 

Another cluster of hours had passed, leaving you to your own devices. Kylo had yet to come back after your small conversation. You did get visited very briefly by Zeus a couple of times who very quickly sniffed around you and the room before leaving once again. The hours went by leaving you with just your thoughts, and the TV. To your surprise you were almost looking forward to having some company.

Even Zeus would suffice at this point. Although you had your apprehensions about Kylo you could feel yourself opening up around him a little more. Seeing more of who he is outside of Starkiller. And although your seemingly developing conversations could disappear once you healed and were out of his house, you would at least appreciate the interaction in the moment.

Just as you leaned back, contemplating how much you craved human attention again, the door carefully swung open. As Kylo walked in with another tray of food Zeus pattered in next to him, prancing straight towards you. You smiled as they entered the room.

“Evening boys.”

Kylo gave you a half nod as he set down the tray, moving to another tray he had set aside.

“I hope you don’t mind, but we have to do this first.”

Your brows furrowed, “Do what?”

“Change your bandages.”

Your brows rose again, “Oh.”

Now that you thought about it, you had been sitting in them for a day or so. It was definitely time to do something about it before you got an infection. Sitting up a little straighter you gave him a nod.

“Yeah sure.”

He snorted faintly, “I wasn’t going to give you a choice. They need to be changed unless you want to get infected.”

You shrugged, “I mean…ok.”

He smirked faintly as he brought his tray of supplies over, Zeus sitting patiently next to the stool at the bedside he had already setup. The amount of preparations and thought that Kylo had put into your stay alone surprised you. It seemed any time you went to move or do something he always was one step ahead of you. Even if it was his own home you doubted he was this organized on a daily basis. Working in the bar alone and seeing him you knew he was entirely a creature of impulse.

As he sat upon the stool at the bedside you watched him carefully, following his movements. Whatever experience he had prior to your arrival was certainly something considering how professional he looked. He not only had all the supplies you needed but knew exactly what things to prepare first.

Scooting closer to the bedside he nudged his head towards you, “Can you lift your shirt?”

Although you knew exactly why he was asking you to but something about the words coming from his mouth made a wave of heat ebb under your flesh. Clearing your throat you merely nodded in response to him, carefully pulling up the fabric to expose your waist to him. Wasting almost no time he began peeling off your bandages. A hiss escaped you as your eyes winced shut.

“Gees!”

Kylo hardly acknowledged your reaction, just flitting his eyes to yours, “It’s almost off.”

You whimpered slightly, “A warning would have been nice, it stings.”

Swiftly he peeled off the last piece of the bandage and leaned back to dispose of it, “Sorry.”

With your wound now exposed to the air you felt a dull sting. You had obviously been hit deep and whatever Kylo had to do to remove the bullet obviously dug in just as deep. Shutting your eyes you tried to release a deep breath, focusing all your attention on ebbing the feeling away.

“Just a forewarning, this is gonna sting.”

You fluttered your eyes open ever so slightly to see Kylo applying some liquid to a rather plush and large looking cotton ball.

“How bad?”

“Considering your last few reactions, pretty bad.”

As if feeling your distress suddenly you were greeted by Zeus jumping onto the bed. Giving you a quick sniff he made his way closer to you, seating himself right beside your unexposed half. He sat stern with his snout almost held regally.

Kylo shook his head. “I’m gonna blame you for his new habit.”

You gave him a half hearted smile as he nudged his head towards Zeus.

“Feel free to wrap an arm around him if it’ll help. I should be able to clean the wound even if you’re leaning.”

You nodded as you carefully slid an arm around Zeus, assuring to watch him as you did. Although he seemed to be rather open to your presence, you didn’t want to push the boundary. Sure enough after a moment your arm was coiled around him as your head dipped in towards his neck.

“Do it.”

Kylo gently pressed the damp cotton ball on your wound, almost flinching at the sound you made in response. It was something between a whimper and a hiss, obviously not taking to the pain well. Zeus sat steady as you clung onto him, nearly coming to tears as Kylo tried to wipe away at the surface of your wound.

A small part of Kylo almost felt for you, he remembered the first time he experienced that pain. In his case however, he had signed up for such reprecussions in his life. You did not. You were just being brought along for the ride. A choice which Kylo was starting to wonder if it was wise or absolutely idiotic.

Pulling the cotton away he immediately threw it into the trash, “Alright it’s done.”

You released a few deep breaths, still clinging onto Zeus, as Kylo watched your back rise and fall. For a moment he just sat there, watching you carefully to see when you would turn back to him. It was in small moments like this that he realized he was in a lot deeper than he had ever anticipated. At first he had shun any and all attraction he had to you, merely blaming it on the lack of interaction with others in months. As time passed and he got to see more and more of you, the more it dawned on him. This definitely was not due to lack of interaction. Although it may have been a factor, this was something else entirely. A feeling that Kylo was not even certain he could feel at all. You had ignited something in him that he was now trying to process as best he could. Something that made all of this even more complicated. Perhaps that’s why Snoke had never wanted him to pursue such things. But looking at you, hearing your voice chime in his ears, how could someone not want to feel this?

Just as the thought started to pass his mind you finally turned your attention to him. Your eyes faintly glistening and your nose runny. His gut sank a little at the sight. Then again with that lovely feeling, came things like this.

“Ok. I’m fine.”

He gave you a nod, deciding not to respond at the moment. He needed to prioritize, and right now patching up your wound was the most important thing. Getting back to action he quickly began preparing the gauze for your bandage, cutting the proper amount. Gently he placed it on top of your wound, assuring to apply his hand on your unsoiled flesh.

As he began to bandage it down he suddenly heard your voice, meak and soft.

“When do you think it will heal?”

He sighed, “Not for a while. But you should be good to walk with no issue again in a couple of days.”

You nodded, “That’s good. …I feel bad making you carry me. …Kinda.”

A smirk ever so slightly cracked on his lips, “It’s no problem.”

“Really though. I don’t even know anyone that would be willing to do all this for me.”

He swallowed, “…I dragged you into this. The least I could do is make sure you survive.”

You gave him a half hearted smile as heat spread through your chest. From the tone in his voice you could tell, he cared. You didn’t need to know on what level he did, it was the fact that he did at all. This stoic and lethal man cared about if you survived to see another day. Even if it was just for now, it meant something.

“Well it’s appreciated.”

He gave you a curt nod in response, unsure of what to really say. Decent conversation was not something that really graced his life as of late. It was all about business, who was living, who was dying, who was paying their dues, but nothing of this sort.

After another moment of what was now expected silence, you cleared your throat. Earning his attention for a moment as he paused from patching down the gauze to your side.

“And I’m sorry you’re down a bartender.”

He shook his head, “Don’t worry about it. Phasma can handle it.”

“By herself?”

He smirked, “I guess we’ll find out.”

“Was she mad when you went in?”

“Not anymore than she usually is. She understands you can’t stand.”

You nodded. As silence crept back between you both again another question continued to push in your mind.

“Do they…know I’m here?”

Kylo avoided your eyes for a moment, keeping all of his attention on the fresh bandage he was applying. Considering how hospitable and rather kind he had been, much to your surprise, you could only imagine that his colleagues were not on board with such behavior. Especially Hux.

“Kylo?”

Finally his eyes met yours, “They only know that you’re recovering.”

“Oh.”

He sighed as he pressed down another side to your waist, “And I intend to keep it that way.”

“…Will I be able to go back?”

He remained silent again, his jaw tensing. You were certain he was picturing Hux’s face as he reprimanded him for lord only knows what. It wasn’t far fetched that your presence was also something Hux reprimanded Kylo on.

“If Hux is out of the picture you can.”

“…And if he’s not?”

Kylo’s nostrils flared for a moment, “I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

You nodded, turning your attention to the wall ahead of you. Beside you, you felt Zeus nudge his snout against your hand before resting his head on your thigh. As he released a deep breath you smiled, giving his head a few strokes. It was quiet once again, but the environment was not as tense. There seemed to finally be a calm that rested over you.

After another good chunk of time had passed, leaving them with a heavy silence, Kylo suddenly cleared his throat. You turned your head ever so slightly to watch him as he seemed to swallow nervously.

“So…what do you like to do in your free time?”

Your brows knitted together, instantly confused. Sure the idea of conversation rather than silence was great, but this just seemed, awkward. His tone of voice seemed off.

“What?”

“What do you, like do in your free time?”

Yet again the tone of his voice struck you. It was as if he had rehearsed the words before. Whether in his head or aloud you weren’t certain, but his mind had tumbled with them for a while. That much was evident.

“Um…well. I like to hangout with my friends…get outside a little if I can. …Read…maybe write or something.”

He nodded, seeming to absorb your answer as he just stared at you. You could tell this wasn’t something in his usual behavior. He wasn’t one to concern himself with how others felt or what they did.

“What about you?”

Kylo fidgeted with his hands, “I like to ride my motorcycle, workout, hangout with Zeus.”

You smiled a bit, “That sounds ideal. …What kind of motorcycle?”

“A Kawasaki.”

“Ooo, those are nice.”

He nodded, and in the motion you could tell the gears in his head were once again turning. Perhaps after leaving you alone for such prolonged periods of time he felt guilty.

“…Do you…have a…favorite movie?”

Although it came out clunky you were impressed he went with something that casual. Hearing it come out of his mouth however had you chuckling, shaking your head.

“You really don’t do small talk do you?”

He shook his head. You sighed. If he was going to make this much of an effort on his behalf, you could certainly indulge him.

“Well, my favorite movie is (Y/F/M).”

His brows rose slightly, “Really?”

You nodded, “It’s a great story, well directed and I never get tired of watching it. I could quite literally watch it on a loop and still love it as if I was watching it for the first time. What about you?”

He hesitated for a moment, seeming to take a good long time to think up his response. You would imagine with profession he hardly had time to watch any movies, but at some point he had to be human and indulge in these things. Right?

His shoulders dropped after a moment, “I guess Fight Club.”

“You guess?”

“It’s the last movie I remember watching and enjoying.”

You paused for a moment as your brow arched, “When was that?”

“A little over 10 years ago.”

“You haven’t watched any movies since that impressed you?”

He shook his head, “Haven’t watched many movies period since then.”

Another pause came through, as if your world was screeching to a halt to remember this moment. Was he implying he had been doing this for 10 years? He couldn’t have been older than his early thirties. Although you really wanted the answers now you decided not to pry. It was always better to be on his good side.

You cleared your throat after a moment, “Well other than movies, do you ever have a chance to read?”

“Rarely.”

“Any favorites?”

His lips quirked to the side ever so slightly, as his eyes cast down.

“It’s a tie between The Alchemist and Farenheit 451.”

Your brows rose again, “Really?”

He nodded as you gave him a smile. You shouldn’t have been surprised that he liked mind bending stories or was intelligent enough to enjoy those stories, but yet again, something about the human element behind it surprised you. Somewhere underneath all of that facade he was just another guy. A very lethal and criminal guy, but a guy certainly.

“They’re both fascinating storylines. I thought I was actually going to hate The Alchemist, but it ended up being too good to put down.”

You maintained your smile and nodded, “I know it’s a good story.”

“What about yours?”

“(Y/F/B).”

He nodded, “And why’s that?”

You shrugged, “Essentially the same as your reasons. Thought I wasn’t going to be into it but once I got into the story I couldn’t put the book down.”

He gave you a subtle smile in response, as if the idea pleased him. Or perhaps reflecting on what that feeling once was. You could only imagine if he had been working in the field he was now for about 10 years, he hadn’t done much else but work for those 10 years.

Then as if a lightbulb went off in your head, you suddenly sat up straighter.

“Would you wanna watch a movie? With me?”

“What?”

You shrugged as you pointed the remote towards the TV, “I mean, I was already planning on watching one tonight. Your cable comes with free movies.”

He looked at the television, as if confused as to how he came into possession of such things, “It does?”

You nodded, “I hope you don’t mind but when you leave me in here I catch up on a few.”

“No, no, I don’t mind at all.”

“You’re sure?”

He arched a brow at you, “You’ve been in here for more than 24 hours. I would hope you were doing something more than staring at my walls.”

You gave him a slight smile, “Good to know.”

He sighed as he readjusted himself on the stool beside you, “So…what movie are you thinking of?”

“I was thinking Blade Runner 2049.”

His brows furrowed, “What’s that?”

“Like a sci-fi action movie.”

His lip quirked again for a moment as he considered the preposition. Of course it was odd to ask for a movie night with your boss who was also a crime boss, but if you were stuck in his home for a while longer it certainly wouldn’t hurt to at least be friendly. Even if this all went away once you walked back into that bar, if you did, you could at least remain civil with him after having been this close in quarters.

“What do you say?”

He shrugged, “Why not?”

You smiled as he slid you your tray of food, instantly catching Zeus’ attention as he sniffed every item before you. Quickly you shooed him away, getting him to sit still next to you once Kylo switched to the more comfortable seat on the opposite side of the bed. Zeus settled between the two of you, crossing his front legs over each other as you started the movie.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After healing with the unlikely help of Kylo Ren himself, (Y/N) heads back out into the world. With a new perspective on Kylo, herself and the situation she’s in she feels stable and able to take on anything. Well, almost anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one isn’t super long, but I didn’t want to add anything too unnecessary to the story. Also; another plot twiiisstt haha, hope you guys enjoy!

You shook your head with a chuckle as you looked over at Kylo after glancing down at the candy bar in your lap.

“You’re telling me you’ve really never tried a Snickers?”

He shook his head with a little smirk, “I am.”

“What the fuck? Are you a recluse like come on!”

He laughed in response to your scolding, obviously finding your faux outrage humorous. It had been like this for the past couple of days. What were originally very tense and awkward interactions slowly started to dissipate to something much more natural. It was as if as the hours passed, both of your walls started to come down. While they both crumbled with hesitation and caution, and certainly had not fully disappeared, there was at least a good clearing between you. He seemed much more like your colleague and less like your terrifying boss. It was almost shocking to find the man underneath all of that sin and conjuring of fear.

He put a finger up, “Although, I did have some when I was a kid.”

“Well judging by what I’m looking at now it’s been a while.”

You both subtly chuckled at that, shaking your heads respectively. Zeus sat at the foot of the bed, merely laying there as he just watched over your interaction.

“Touché.” 

Both shaking your heads your laughter began to subside. Yet again the apparent “elephant” between you seemed to materialize again. It wasn’t something you could help, the situation was not one you could evade. It was quite literally life or death, and both of yours were on the line. As much as you had gotten to see the normal man Kylo was, you could never entirely dismiss what he did and who he was. It certainly gave you conflicting feelings, but it was not to be forgotten regardless. 

Watching Kylo’s Adams apple bob in his neck you tried to shift in your seat. Whatever discussion was going to be had, you didn’t want to be any more uncomfortable than you were emotionally. 

“…You should be good to leave by tomorrow.”

Your brows rose in surprise, “Tomorrow?”

He nodded, “In assessing your wounds you’re in a good place and should be able to walk with no issue.”

For a moment you took in his words in silence. It was good news that you were healing, and that he could confirm that. Despite the good news however, you felt a little disappointed. You were certain you had made it onto his good side. Was he ready to get rid of you now? Were you no longer on that side because you had overstayed your welcome? You also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else. There was always something else with this predicament. Always something else when it came to him. You hated to be that person that expected the worst, but given what you were dealing with now you couldn’t really help it. 

“And it’s safe for me to go home?”

Kylo didn’t seem to nod, just stiffly uttered his response, “It should be. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for you.”

You could feel your skin begin to tremble. The fear and anxiety boiling as the possibilities of events came to the forefront of your mind. Although you tried not to dwell on them too much as you were appreciative of your job, it always managed to creep up on you. Haunting your deepest sleep and peaceful reprieves. 

“And if it’s not ok?”

“Then you call me.”

You nodded, somewhat relieved that he was offering even that much. Not that you could entirely trust him, but if he was offering you certainly weren’t going to decline. It wouldn’t be likely that your neighbors or friends could defend you from what or who was likely going to be coming for you.

“…And my job?”

The tension in the room suddenly became more apparent as Kylo’s jaw tensed. You could see it in his eyes. There was apprehension, but also anger. He was either thinking of something or someone. It was a fairly easy guess as to what he was thinking of.

“…3 days.”

Your brows furrowed, “What?”

He looked directly into your eyes, a sudden flame of emotion burning into you through them. “I want you to stay away for 3 days. By then, things should be sorted out.”

Not breaking eye contact you gave him a curt nod, “And if they’re not?”

His jaw seemed to clench again as if he was aggravated that you would even suggest such a thing, “They will be.”

Clearing your throat you turned yourself away from his piercing gaze, “Ok.”

Although you didn’t want to ruffle his feathers, considering the fact that you were on his good side at the moment, you couldn’t help the monumental concerns you had lingering inside your head. Sure you knew people who were in low places, but would they really come out to defend you? Were you really safe to leave Kylos home? Was your job really secure if Kylo didn’t take out Hux? Or even worse, what would happen if Hux took out Kylo? 

As a shiver ran down your flesh at the thought Kylo broke the tense silence once again. “I’ll deal with it. You’ll still have a job.”

You didn’t meet his gaze, instead nodding at the wall. For a moment silence fell over you both again, until you heard his voice softly break again.

“Do you really want to come back?”

The tone in his voice was instantly evident to you. It was different. Instead of stoic or monotone, there was a hint of emotion in there. Something reminiscent of concern or worry. Was he worried that you didn’t want to work with him anymore? Truthfully it was something on your mind, but something in you wasn’t ready to let go of it. At least not yet. And the paystubs certainly weren’t something to groan about. 

You shrugged, “I mean…yeah.”

He gave you a very faint hint of a smile, as if he was too proud to wear it in its full glory. “Ok. Then I’ll settle it.”

You gave him a little smile back, “Thank you.”

As silence fell over the room again, both of you turning back to your own respective positions to avoid gazing at the other, you both sat there for a moment. Almost as though the moment were too good to spoil with anything else.

Truthfully you wanted to soak up these moments as long as you could. You knew things would change the moment you got up from the bed and walked outside. Kylo would treat you differently, the work crowd would treat you differently, your schedule would be different. The creeping feeling of someone watching you would even be different. Nothing would be as secure and refreshingly mundane as the days you spent in Kylo’s home. Ironically enough. 

* * *

 

* * *

The next day you were finally walking out into the world again. The moment almost felt like it should have been celebrated. Savored. You closed your eyes as you took in a deep breath, allowing as much air as you possibly could to enter your airways. Although there was no distinguished scent to it you took in the feeling of the colder air nearly stinging the rims of your nostrils. 

“It’s still as polluted as you when you went in.”

You turned to face the owner of that voice, giving him a certain kind of look. One that you knew now would pass with him. 

He shrugged, “Just saying.”

A subtle smile cracked at your lips as you shook your head. He always had a way with words. You weren’t sure if you were really expecting anything different. Over the course of the last few days you were certainly thrown for a loop. Another surprise wouldn’t catch you that far off guard. 

“Thanks.”

He gave you a subtle smile. Seeing him just stare back at you, opting to keep his mouth shut, you suddenly started to feel something creep over you. An anxiety almost. Likely the anxiety that came with the realization that your stay here was over. That once your feet hit the pavement of the sidewalk you would no longer have the promise of being on the same terms with Kylo. Let alone under the same protection. Your house didn’t have nearly as many security cameras or ammunition as his did. 

“I mean it… Thank you…for everything.”

His face seemed to shift ever so slightly as he locked eyes with you again. You knew he wasn’t very expressive, and if you were being honest even when he was it was still hard to read. He seemed both confused and flattered from what you saw before you. You would never really know.

“It’s no problem.”

You gave him a nod, “Will I see you at work this weekend?”

He gave you a subtle smirk, “I would hope so. Somebody has to run the place.”

With a small smile you gave him another nod before giving a short wave in his direction, “See you then.”

He returned your gesture, “See you.”

Turning forward once again you let out a heavy sigh, one that you weren’t even aware you were holding in. It seemed the further you walked out of Kylo’s home, the more the real consequences and results of your recent ventures became. You didn’t want to hang around him forever, but at the same time, until Hux was confirmed dead, you kinda did. He may have been rather unpredictable and a creature of impulse, but for whatever reason, aside from your guilty and silent interest in him, you seemed to be on his good side for the moment. And it took no grand mind to know what terms you were on with Hux. 

But you had to go forward. Kylo could only do so much, and you could likely only ally with him for so long. Truthfully you shouldn’t have allied with him in the first place, but you were playing with the cards you were dealt. He also wasn’t the worst ally to look at. Though you weren’t entirely ready to admit that one to yourself. 

Shaking your head as if to rid yourself of the thought you kept walking. Suddenly behind you, you heard the familiar creak of a metal doors hinges. With furrowed brows you turned to look over your shoulder only to see Kylo just beginning to disappear into his home once again. 

Turning back forward you felt your feet slow their pace ever so slightly. It suddenly felt as though a certain change in the air was making your steps lighter and your insides a little…warmer. Kylo had been watching you leave, as if to actually assure you were ok. 

While you assumed to some extent he cared about his employees, you doubted he ever had his eyes on Phasma to assure she got anywhere safely. His special treatment of you seemed to be continuing. And you couldn’t really begin to complain.

Feeling a little heat rise in your cheeks you quickly tried to shake off the thought. It was not what you needed to be focused on right now. Picking up your pace again you released a deep breath and smiled ever so slightly. Home is where your focus was. 

* * *

 

* * *

Striding down the sidewalk you let out a deep sigh as your eyes traveled up. You had never thought looking at your apartment would hold so many emotions as it did in this moment. Usually after a long day of work you would look at it fondly, but now it held so many other things. 

While you were still grateful to be home, you couldn’t help the nerves. Your apartment may have been a blessing in its own sort of way, but it was certainly not the same type of shelter in comparison to where you had been staying. You didn’t own firearms, you couldn’t bench press obscene amounts of weight, and you didn’t have at least 5 different types of security systems including dogs with lethal strength. You just had an apartment with a very basic security system and kitchen knives. 

You tried to shake your head, attempting to rid your psyche of the thought. The more you dwelled on it, the more it would affect you. There was no real telling what would happen to you. And considering everything, Kylo would take care of Hux. Hux for the time being, could be a mere mirage in your rearview mirror. 

Just as you began to approach the stairwell that lead to your level of the complex you suddenly felt your hairs stand on end. You weren’t certain what it was, but it felt as though someone or something was weighing their gaze upon you. Cautiously you turned to the left to see if you could find a culprit. To no surprise, there was no one. Turning to the right you still saw no one, only a parked car that you had already passed. 

With a huff you shook your head, “Damn nerves.”

For a moment you paused at the bottom of the steps and closed your eyes. Maybe if you just took a moment to slow down and take everything in you could ease yourself down. You really had been through a lot and perhaps you needed to take the proper time to process it, to realize that you were an ordinary person caught in some extraordinary circumstances. This was not your average life, and you had not even had the time to digest that. You only had the time to try and ignore it while carrying on day after day. 

Feeling as though the uneven axis your life was on was leveling out, you released another sigh. You could do this. If you had lived through this much already, there wasn’t much else the world could throw at you that you wouldn’t be prepared for. 

Like a soft wave on the beach your eyes carefully peeled open, looking at the stairwell before you as if it were something special. You peacefully smiled to yourself.

Just as your vision seemed to clear and you felt your muscles about to slide your form forward, something hit you. Without any notice two strong arms wrapped around your waist and a gust of air washed over you as you felt yourself fall backwards. Instinct instantly kicked in as you felt your lungs burn to scream out for help. To your misfortune, whatever or whoever was holding you was one step ahead of you. As if they had your instincts memorized. Your heart began to beat rapidly at the thought, feeling your screams die at the thick piece of fabric over your mouth. 

As the stairwell was visibly torn away from you and you saw yourself get swallowed by the dark interior of a car, the metal lining the door being the only glimmer of light or color you saw, a piece of fabric blocked your sight as well. Despite the hindrance of losing your sight and not being able to scream you thrashed around violently. While the arms around you did not budge, you felt as though your legs could make some progress. Perhaps if you kicked someone hard enough they would have to let go of you. 

Just as you were about to kick the assailant the fabric from your mouth was released. Without any hesitation you went to scream again, despite having heard the car door close.

“HEL-”

Abruptly you were cut off by another strain of fabric over your mouth. This one however was moist, carrying a much heavier scent to it. Your anxiety shot through the roof. This person was trying to assure you passed out or suffocated.

Thrashing some more you violently kicked the person behind you in the shins, hoping to get some kind of physical reaction from them. No matter how many times your shoes dug into their flesh, or pant legs, you couldn’t really tell, they did not budge. Soon enough your worst nightmare started to play out. Your lungs were growing tired, your body growing weak and your already covered eyes fluttering. They were winning, and you were not making even the slightest progress in escaping.

As your last few kicks made it out of you, you heard one of the assailants speak. A male voice that you could not recognize. One that sounded far too calm for the situation at hand. 

“Just hold her, she’ll tire herself out.”

You whimpered, you knew they were right. You were so tired and the chemical overtaking your senses was only making it worse. 

Another voice shushed you, gently petting your hair. Had you possessed any more energy you would have instantly fought back against them. Your weakened state however, had to allow it.

“Sweet dreams (Y/N).”


End file.
